Environmental Education and Training
The Yamaha Group offers a variety of training and education opportunities to Company employees in an effort to raise their knowledge and skills with respect to the environment. We categorize environmental training into “General,” “Specialty,” “Emergency Response Training,” and other courses that meet the needs of the local Yamaha entity and their work-related duties. Group-sponsored training and brush-up seminars for internal environmental auditors are another way to improve Group-wide environmental preservation activities. We also support training to help increase environmental awareness among our employees.
Environmental Seminars
June is the Yamaha Group “Environment Month,” during which we sponsor different environmental seminars. These seminars are for all Yamaha employees, including the president, directors, and staff, as well as for our business partners. These educational opportunities are designed to help spread knowledge and understanding about the environment.
Past Environmental Seminars
| FY2011 (330 attendees) |
“Forests and Corporations: Toward an Era of Responsible Wood Procurement” Lecturer: Mr. Mutai Hashimoto, Forest Programme Officer, WWF Japan |
FY2011 environmental seminar
Specialized Training for Environmental Preservation Staff
The Group has established curriculum for employees engaged in operations that require specialized knowledge, including personnel involved in waste management and water treatment operations.
In fiscal 2011, we inspected the waste management conditions at a total of 24 key sales sites and related facilities in Japan and provided guidance to correct problems. Further, we held training sessions for employees not directly engaged in waste management operations in the Tokyo metopolitan area and Kansai region.
We also conduct training at each business location for potential emergency situations, based on the ISO14001 operating manual. This emergency response training teaches employees how to deal with accidents such as the leakage of environmental contaminants.
Training and Brush-Up for Internal Environmental Auditors
Training the staff who actually perform our self-regulated activities with respect to environmental training is essential for improving the operations of our environmental management system. The Yamaha Group holds annual seminars conducted by external organizations to train internal environmental auditors.
A total of 40 audit staff participated in the seminar in May fiscal 2011 and 21 in the one in July fiscal 2012 held at Yamaha headquarters. Since our first such training in March 1998, during 15 years, we have held 38 seminars, with more than 1,000 cumulative participants who are registered as internal environmental auditors.
With the migration to an ISO integrated management system during fiscal 2010, we held an Internal Environmental Auditor Brush-Up Seminar to improve the skill set of staff members responsible for internal audits. We held this seminar in May 2011 at the Yamaha headquarters, where 41 individuals were able to build stronger audit skills related to environmental activities that are linked directly to our business.
Internal Environmental Auditor Brush-Up
Promoting Eco Initiatives among All Employees
The Yamaha Group provides support and training to improve the environmental awareness of our employees and to promote eco activities that employees can perform as part of their daily routines.
(1)Environmental Awareness Activities in the Home: Smart Life in My Home Commitment and My Eco Commitment Coloring Page
The Yamaha Group revised activities to boost environmental awareness in the home promoted in conjunction with the Yamaha labor union. The “Smart Life Guide Eco-Account Book,” which had been in operation for eight years, was changed to the more practical “Smart Life in My Home Commitment.”
Under this commitment, employees established, and committed to, eco-activity themes according to their individual circumstances for a period of four months from June to September. The majority of themes were related to saving electricity, an issue that has been in the spotlight since the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. Yamaha received a total of 855 reports on the activities at the end of the program and gave awards to the most exceptional initiatives.
Besides this initiative, we continued to implement the My Eco Commitment Coloring Page to enhance communication related to the environment in homes with children through coloring pages.
The Smart Life Guide Eco-Account Book and My Eco Commitment coloring page
Examples of Initiatives under the Smart Life in My Home Commitment
| Commitment | Report on Activities |
|---|---|
| Save and create electricity through equipment and awareness | We installed a solar power generation system and an eco window shutter to save electricity. We checked the amount of electricity generated and consumed each day. Thanks to the eco window shutter we were able to go to bed without using the air conditioning. When we do use the air conditioning, the whole family stayed in the living room. As a result, we were able to reduce electricity consumption by 48% year-on-year. |
| Put a blind on a window that gets good sun and make sure the breeze doesn't get blocked inside to reduce the electricity bill | We installed a blind made with aluminum inside a window on the south side of the second floor. We didn't put any big furniture near the window and made sure we could open it. This enabled us to cut down on the number of times we used the air conditioning at night, by 18.8% in August relative to the previous year. |
| Install a solar power generation system and work to save electricity and economize (aiming to completely offset power bill by saving and selling power) | We practiced many ways to conserve electricity. We used power-saving plug taps and light-blocking curtains, refrained from using air conditioning in the morning and evening, kept the air conditioning at 28℃ and tried to keep the lights off as often as possible. These efforts led to a 24% saving in August and a 30% saving in September, year-on-year. We weren't able to completely offset our power bill by saving and selling power, but we'll keep trying to achieve this in the future. |
| Keep a household account for electricity and save energy (power) | We set themes, worked to conserve power and made a report of the results. Themes: Turn off the TV power switch, frequently turn off the lights, keep the air conditioning at 28℃, use an electric fan, and use the washing machine and dishwasher late at night. By doing so, we saved power by 32% year-on-year. |
| Put up a reed blind to avoid the afternoon sun and do our best not to use the air conditioning during summer | We got by just with an electric fan during the day by using a reed blind, which reduced the temperature of the west-facing room by 2-3℃. We used a high-capacitance solar cell to recharge smartphone, mobile phone and small electrical appliances. We also improved ventilation around the house. As a result, we achieved a significant reduction of 23.1% in power consumption. |
| Stop heating water for the bath twice, spend time all together as a family in the living room and go to bed early | Once the water is heated, everyone takes a bath one after the other using the same water. We saved electricity by aligning our schedules for the entire family, and also improved our living habits by going to bed and getting up early. |
| Cooperate as a family with measures to save electricity | We decided on a system of checking lights in the home where each person in the family took turns. We were conscious of not using the air conditioning and instead made do with electric fans and paper fans. We were also careful to open and close the fridge properly, and turn off standby mode on the TV and PC. |
| Reduce TV time and increase picture book time Use electricity in one place with all the family together |
We set specific programs to watch on TV. We boosted talk time and enhanced communication by enjoying picture books together. |
| Sleep in third floor room where there is a better breeze and stop using air conditioning | The kids wanted to sleep in a tent so we put one up in the third floor where there's enough space and slept there. Since there is no air conditioning on the third floor, we saved electricity by default. |
| Put four full 2L water bottles into the bath tub to raise the level of water as a means of water conservation | At first it felt strange when we got in the bath but we soon got used to it and decided to continue for a while. In addition, this enabled us to stock water for emergency times in pet bottles as a result, which allowed us to appreciate how important water is again. |
| Save on our electricity bill by using thermoses | My wife always used to tell the kids off for keeping the fridge door open for too long when looking for a cold drink because it was a waste of money. Then we gave them thermoses, which proved very effective in summer and has reduced the number of times the fridge is opened and closed. |
| Save energy with an outside light by using a solar-powered light | Our outdoor light comes on and turns off at a set time everyday. It's a waste but we need it for security. So we switched to a solar-powered light that we saw at a hardware store. This led to a 48.8 kWh saving in electricity during operating hours. |
| Walk to work over 30 times in three months | My office is 20 minutes away by foot. Motivated by the Smart Life Commitment, I decided to walk to work as often as possible. I managed to commute on foot 46 times in three months. |
| Try to either walk or take my bicycle when going somewhere nearby to save on gasoline bills | I measured the return distance between nearby places that I usually go by car. I stayed committed to either walking or taking my bicycle to these places for four months with the idea of saving money. My efforts resulted in a 5.06L saving in gasoline. It felt good to be exercising more and contributing to the environment (reducing CO2). |
(2)Promoting Green Eco Curtains in Employee Homes
Beginning in fiscal 2009, the Yamaha Group has encouraged employees to create Green Eco-Curtain in their homes, in parallel with Green Eco Curtain activities at Yamaha business locations.
In addition to providing how-to instructions, Yamaha distributed seeds for morning glories, Goya, and other hanging plants to those interested.
We have received over 100 reports from families that have practiced Green Eco Curtain activities as part of the Smart Life in My Home Commitment since fiscal 2011.
Third-Party Opinion
We obtained an opinion from a specialist to assist in improving the CSR Report.
Editorial Policy
Editorial policy for the CSR report.