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To receive a positive social return on investment given its size, the Foundation must make the use of resources as focused and strategic as possible. Starting in 2004, the Foundation began setting forth program guidelines to narrow the focus of what it invests in and demands results from.
Programs/Proposals funded or initiated by the Foundation concentrate efforts in the following directions:
Environment Education
     The pace of climate change and species extinction is accelerating at such alarming rates that human civilization built on the neglect of natural laws is reaching an inevitable breaking point. How can we create a new civilization that coexists and thrives with the natural environment? How can we take responsibility for the common cause of all life on earth and live in harmony with nature? Our Foundation is dedicated to finding answers to these questions.

     In addition to actively advancing environmental awareness, two major initiatives of our environmental education program are “taking action” and “encouraging innovation.” On the one hand, we envision that the individual will take action by pursuing a harmonious coexistence with nature, creating a positive impact that will spread throughout the world around us. We also believe that the effective use of resources can fuel innovative ideas that will enable humans to enjoy a high standard of living and a sustainable coexistence with the natural environment.

Project 1:
Energy Schools: Whole School Energy Education Program

     Sound environmental conservation concepts must be instilled during childhood. Since 2006, the Foundation and Earth Passengers have been introducing and localizing the Wisconsin KEEP (Kindergarten to Grade 12 Energy Education Program) in Taiwan. Since 2007, the Foundation has been implementing Australia’s environmental education whole school energy concepts, which takes energy management concepts from the classroom and practically applies them in the school. This has created an innovative, unique project called the Whole School Energy Education Program.

     The following are the three aspects involved with setting up Taiwan’s Whole School Energy Education Program:

     The first aspect is “Energy School Consultation Project,” which sought professional consultation from a team comprised of architects, electrical engineers and educators. This team’s energy management consultation efforts were fully backed by the commitment, cooperation, and actions of Taiwan’s elementary and middle schools to establish energy management standards and criteria. The long-term objective is to design elementary and middle schools that provide a comfortable and energy efficient learning environment. Schools presently participating in the energy model school assistance program are: (South) Nanning Middle School, Ganghe Elementary School; (Central) Huiwen Elementary School, Dashan Elementary School; and (North) Jianan Elementary School. Twelve more schools joined the Energy School program in 2008.

     The second aspect is the promotion and localization of KEEP teaching material. These efforts focus on providing training that informs teachers about energy concepts, developing localization of KEEP energy teaching material, assisting model schools further develop and expand energy education content, and going to elementary and middle schools throughout Taiwan to demonstrate and promote KEEP teaching materials. We hope the promotion of energy teaching materials will provide an abundance of energy management skills to the future caretakers of Taiwan. In the world of the future where fossil fuel supplies become increasingly scarce, we are confident that human civilization will be able to overcome the challenges posed by the energy crisis. The first edition of the Taiwan KEEP energy teaching material is currently available on DVD, and is available to the public.

      The third aspect involves setting up an energy educational information platform and opening up exchange channels for the application of energy teaching material and design of lesson plans. Harnessing the Internet’s capacity to connect people, we currently provide an energy education blog and energy teaching e-news that gives teachers concerned about energy education a platform to discuss ideas and share educational resources. In the future, we intend to set up an energy education website and form an energy education teacher’s association, providing comprehensive support mechanisms over the Internet to teachers who are interested in utilizing energy education, thus strengthening the capacity and capability of energy education.

To subscribe to the energy teaching material e-report, please contact:
amy@earthpassengers.org
Earth Passengers website:http://earthpassengers.org/
Energy education blog:http://www.wretch.cc/blog/k12eep

Project 2:
Mobile Green Energy Museum—Green Energy Resources Touring Vehicle

     The Foundation has been cooperating with the National Taiwan Science Education Center since 2005 to create a mobile green energy resources educational exhibit that travels to elementary and middle schools around Taiwan, offering stimulating energy education activities to the nation’s future stewards. The mobile exhibit contents include A Day in the Life, Super Mix and Match, Energy Body Transformer, Earth Microscope, Modern Science Alchemy, Energy Password Challenge, and Solar Sunflower. Our goal with these exhibits is to allow elementary and middle school children understand that while enjoying the energy resources in our daily lives we must also realize the importance of being friendly to our environment. This realization is the only sustainable course for society.

     Since the mobile museum hit the road it has already made trips to Kaohsiung, Taitung, Chiayi, Taoyuan, and Taipei. These visits have exposed teachers from each school to diversified, high-quality instructional materials that can be used to instill environmental protection and energy conservation within the hearts of youth.

     The mobile touring vehicle weighs 16 tonnes and is 10 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and 3.7 meters high. Schools interested in scheduling visits for this vehicle must first verify whether their school is equipped with the necessary equipment and facilities. For further information, please contact our partners at the National Taiwan Science Education Center: Tel. (02) 6610-1234 (ext. 1511).

Project 3:

Delta Green Information Platform

     Knowledge is power. The Foundation has always been dedicated to informing the public with “knowledge” concerning environmental protection and energy conservation issues. Thus, in pursuit of advancing and communicating environmental protection concepts we have launched an environmental protection living knowledge platform.

     The “Delta Environmental E-Report,” which began circulation in 2004 and the “Low Carbon Lifestyle Blog,” launched in May of 2007, are both outcomes of this initiative. Determined to further improve platform and dissemination effectiveness, in 2008 the Foundation began using Web 2.0, which unified the entire information system onto a comprehensive “Delta Green Information Platform.” This inception broke down the barriers between information providers and receivers and has attracted more people to join us in leading and practicing environmentally conscious lives.

     In pursuit of providing superior quality content and “knowledge,” aside from the Foundation’s own members, we have also invited influential professionals outside our organization to express their voices on the Delta Green Information Platform. This lineup of contributors includes senior environmental protection journalists, green builders, green transportation, and specialists on climate change. To further broaden the scope, a “chat corner” is available for people to express ideas and share their experiences of putting environmental protection and conservation into practice in their daily lives.

Project 4:

Coordination with Environmental Protection Groups

     The rise of the environmental movement during the 20th century was propelled by the upsurge of concern among civil society. The call of the people standing up and raising their voices has always played a vital role in the history of the environmental protection movement. For this reason, the Foundation places great importance on helping to build and cultivate grassroots environmental protection organizations.

     Since 2005 the Foundation has collaborated entirely with non-profit environmental protection organizations to complete major projects. These projects have included cooperation with the Society of Wilderness to organize Lights Out Day (2005~2007), setting up the energy news website with the Environmental Information Center, and organizing the energy workshop with the Homemakers’ Union. In addition, our present focus project is the “Whole School - Energy School” and a home energy conservation promotion plan, both of which entail active cooperation with numerous grassroots organizations for successful implementation.

     In 2008, the Foundation volunteered to adopt the Ministry of Education’s “energy conservation and carbon reduction plan.” We hope that by setting up these linking platforms grassroots organizations can share experiences on environmental protection issues and grow together. The plan comprises a total of 17 carbon reduction and energy conservation projects. These linking platforms will offer greater efficiency through the sharing of resources and their overall impact will be magnified through their collective efforts.