Developing young sustainability champions

Developing young sustainability champions

In support of Singapore World Water Day, Henkel Singapore has partnered with Nurture Education Group, Girl Guides Singapore and Fernvale Gardens School to conduct school visits to spread the message of water conservation as well as reduce, reuse and recycle to 235 children across the ages of 5 to 13 years old.

On World Water Day on 22 March, Henkel employees teamed up with Girl Guides to conduct lessons at various Little Footprints Preschool and Kiddiwinkie Schoolhouse under the Nurture Education Group.

Subsequently on 29 March, Henkel employees visited the MINDS – Fernvale Gardens School, one of four special education schools set up by the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore (MINDS), to conduct the sustainability lesson.

The 60-minute interactive lesson comprises a cartoon, a skit performance, and a colouring activity. In support of Singapore’s 2019 Year Towards Zero Waste movement, the children learnt how they can save water and electricity, eliminate plastic use and recycle in their daily life. The session ended with each child receiving a “Sustainability Champion” certificate as a reminder to live sustainably and be an ambassador at home.

Thomas Holenia, President of Henkel Singapore, said, “Everyone can make a difference. Through our Sustainability Ambassador School Outreach programme, we want to create awareness of sustainable principles and responsible behaviour among the young and encourage them to become role models now and into the future.”

Henkel Singapore’s employees, who are certified Sustainability Ambassadors, have been visiting preschools every year on World Water Day to teach young children simple acts of sustainability. This is the third year Henkel Singapore is collaborating with Nurture Education Group and the first time it is partnering with Girl Guides Singapore.

Thomas said, “We are delighted to partner with Girl Guides Singapore on this initiative. We believe that the interaction with the Girl Guides will enhance the engagement with the pre-schoolers and help reinforce their learning. We are also very impressed with MINDS – Fernvale Gardens School’s strong emphasis on sustainability. Our Henkel Sustainability Ambassadors have enjoyed engaging with the students and are inspired by their enthusiasm to care for the environment.”

“We believe that children are never too young to learn about sustainability. Empowering them to cultivate simple sustainability habits will lead them to be responsible citizens of the world,” said Pooja Vishindas, Chief Curriculum Officer at Nurture Education Group.

Ms Kim Lay Eng, Chief Commissioner at Girl Guides Singapore also added, “Girl Guides Singapore is pleased to be able to partner Henkel Singapore and Nurture Education Group in this Sustainability Outreach Programme. The outreach programmeme provides our girls with a unique opportunity to be involved as advocates in real-world sustainability projects that bring about positive change in the lives of people and communities around them.”

Mr Gerard Vaz, Principal of MINDS – Fernvale Gardens School said, “MINDS constantly looks for opportunities like these to partner the community to raise current issues of concern and instill in our students that they are part of a much larger community. The environmental theme sits in well with MINDS – Fernvale Gardens School where all students are made aware of what they can do to protect the environment.”

Launched in 2012, the Henkel Sustainability Ambassador programme is dedicated to encouraging employees to engage even more strongly with the topic of sustainability. Since then, Henkel has trained more than 50,000 ambassadors worldwide – through a well-directed eLearning programme and team training sessions. Within Henkel’s school projects, Henkel’s Sustainability Ambassadors visit schools to teach children about sustainable behavior in the home, helping them to understand how to use resources efficiently. The children multiply the impact by imparting their knowledge and their enthusiasm to others around them. By the end of 2018, the programme had reached and informed over 150,000 schoolchildren in 53 countries about the topic of sustainability.

About Henkel

Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2018, Henkel reported sales of around 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of around 3.5 billion euros. Henkel employs around 53,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognised leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com

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