KODOMO Ramsar for ESD in Wuxi China will be held.

SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. (President: Naofumi Negishi; hereinafter called "Sekisui Chemical"), will provide support and cooperation to the hosting organization, Ramsar Center Japan (hereinafter called "RCJ"), for the KODOMO Ramsar for ESD in Wuxi China. This event will promote consideration of biodiversity by building upon the wetland preservation activities of the participating children. This 3-day event will be held from Saturday October 8 to Monday October 10 in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China, and 74 children participating in wetland preservation activities from Japan, China and Korea have been invited. The children will conduct environmental study centered on the pollution of Lake Taihu, and will participate in presentations of their home wetland activities and exchange information concerning their various wetlands.
*ESD: Education for Sustainable Development

1. Theme/Purpose

Sekisui Chemical has supported the previous "KODOMO Ramsar" and "KODOMO Biodiversity" activities conducted by RCJ along with the children participating in wetland preservation activities in Ramsar Convention registered sites in Japan. In 2011, "for a sustainable earth", RCJ began the "KODOMO Ramsar for ESD", a study and fieldwork program in which children will be able to participate in wetland preservation activities. This activity was proposed by the Japanese Government and will be a 3-year project integrated with the ESD activity promoted by the United Nations.
While promoting cultural exchange between the children of Asia, fieldwork and study concerning wetland preservation will be employed to aim for the development of "people who can realize a sustainable society".

Sekisui Chemical will support the KODOMO Ramsar for ESD activity in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment and NGOs, etc. In coordination with the Asia Wetland Symposium (hereinafter called "AWS") which will be held in Wuxi City, under the theme of "For a sustainable earth, let's make the wetlands sustainable", the Japanese children participating will learn about China's wetlands, present their activities inside Japan to the Chinese participants, engage in various cultural exchanges, and work with the participants from other nations to draw up and present a joint message. Children from Sekisui Chemical's local related company are also scheduled to participate.

The location for this event, Taihu, the 3rd largest freshwater lake in China, has been known from ancient times as a prosperous area for agriculture and fishing related activities. However, accompanying the expanding commercialization of the urban area, pollution of the water has increased, and the local residents are now engaged in activities to recover the former beauty of the Taihu environment. After studying the environment of Lake Taihu and coming into contact with the living creatures there, the children will consider how to create a "sustainable society".

In addition, representatives from the participating children will be dispatched to the AWS Wuxi 2011 (October 11 to 13 , to present the results of this conference. Also, the children are scheduled to present their activities in a booth that will be set up in the exhibition hall of the symposium.

As a company that is striving to be an environmental "Top Runner", Sekisui Chemical also plans to play a major role in the preservation of biodiversity. Our forcast is that 2030 will be an "Environmental Frontier Society", and consider the prevention of global warming and resource recycling activity to be included within the preservation of biodiversity. In addition to minimizing the impact of our business operations on the ecosystem, we are also cooperating with NGOs, NPOs and local governments that are conducting environmental preservation activities in various regions in Japan and conducting the "Sekisui Nature Study Course" and the "Sekisui Nature Conservation Leader Seminar", etc. Through these activities we are working to promote 2nd generation environmental education inside and outside Sekisui Chemical.

2. Activity Summary

  Date October 8 (Saturday) – 10 (Monday) 3 days & 2 nights
  Location Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, Lake Taihu
  Meeting Place Great Wall Hotel
  Organizers Ramsar Center Japan
KODOMO Ramsar for ESD Executive Committee
Wetlands International China
  Cooperation SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
  Supporter Japan Fund for Global Environment
  Participants Children from Japan, China & Korea. (Children from the local related Sekisui Chemical company will also participate)

  Program
  Day 1 October 8 (Saturday)
17:00   Ice-breaking/orientation
Evening   Children's Session 1
Presentation of activities from the children's home regions
Day 2 October 9 (Sunday)
Morning   Children's Session 2
Field study, Visit to Taihu restoration project wetland park
Afternoon   Children's Session 3
Performance by Cinderella theatre company (Tentative)
Group Discussion
Creating the "KODOMO Message", preparing for the presentation poster
Evening   Children's Session 4
Completion of the AWS message and poster: "To bring back a sustainable wetland/Lake Taihu"

Simultaneously, a Leadership Seminar, "Environmental Education for Sustainable Development", will be held (for teachers, adult observers)
Day 3 October 10 (Monday)
9:00   Children's Session 5
Completing the message to Asian Wetland Symposium, (Wuxi)
11:00   Closing Ceremony


Disclaimer

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements due to changes in global economic, business, competitive market and regulatory factors.