Apr 11, 2013

Feature Story

Employee Families and Earthquake-Affected Areas Bond With LEDs

Panasonic has gifted 1,569 LED light bulbs and solar LED lanterns to the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima over three times based on the power-saving initiatives gained in the Power-Saving Action Plan.

On March 27, 2013, Panasonic has gifted 1,569 LED light bulbs and solar LED lanterns to the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima over three times based on the power-saving initiatives gained in its Power-Saving Action Plan.

  • 01_setsuden_ecorelay.jpg
    Donated LED light bulbs installed in place (temporary and rental housing, group homes, NPO offices, kindergartens, etc.)

Following the great changes in electricity in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11 2011, Panasonic has added momentum to its efforts to help save power through the three aspects of factories and offices, work styles, and employee activities in workplaces and homes.

As a part of this, Group employees in Japan carried out the Power-Saving Action Plan in their own homes in the Panasonic Eco Relay, a global citizenship activity which aims to help create a sustainable global environment and society. As well as gaining a certain level of power-saving effects, a quantity of LED light bulbs giving power savings equivalent to 1% of the total power saved by households has been donated to the earthquake-stricken area three times.

The aim of this is to provide motivation to employees to save power as well as to contribute to power savings in the affected areas and ensure safer, securer life there through the light of LEDs.

The Power-Saving Action Plan Incorporates Four Steps:

  1. Raising awareness for power saving among employees through the intranet
  2. Individual employees taking specific action in their own homes
  3. Employees report on their own home electricity usage (compared to the previous year) and specific actions, enabling the results to be determined
  4. LED light bulbs giving power savings equivalent to 1% of the total power saved by employee families are donated to the earthquake-stricken areas

The plan was implemented together with the Panasonic Group Workers Unions Association. The results of the three implementations are as follows.

1. Results for Winter FY11

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    The Board of Education of Ofunato City, Iwate
Period: December 19, 2011 to March 30, 2012
Reports: Power usage for January and February (vs. the previous year) and details of power-saving efforts
No. of people reporting: 11,900
Result of efforts: Average power savings per employee household: -35.9 kWh per month, 5.8% power reduction
LED light bulbs donated: 572 LED light bulbs and 100 solar LED lanterns to the board of education of Ofunato City, Iwate

2. Results for Summer FY12

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    Seven NPOs in Miyagi via the Sendai Miyagi NPO Center
Period: July 2, 2011 to September 28, 2012
Reports: Power usage for August (vs. the previous year) and details of power-saving efforts
No. of people reporting: 17,800
Result of efforts: Average power savings per employee household: -7.4 kWh per month, 1.6% power reduction
LED light bulbs donated: 184 LED light bulbs and additional gift of 300 from labor-management to welfare facilities of seven NPOs in Miyagi via the Sendai Miyagi NPO Center

3. Results for Winter FY12

Period: December 3, 2012 to March 29, 2013
Reports: Power usage for January (vs. the previous year) and details of power-saving efforts
No. of people reporting: 13,200
Result of efforts: Average power savings per employee household: -22.4 kWh per month, 3.6% power reduction
LED light bulbs donated: 413 and additional gift of 100 from labor-management to the JDF Hisaichi Syogaisha Shien Center Fukushima via the Fukushima Associated Recovery Center

Panasonic will continue to promote power-saving efforts as well as plan volunteer activities in the quake-hit areas by employees, while also continuing its aid efforts primarily through the program to support the development of future generations.

Voices of Receivers of Donations

We are deeply grateful for all the support Panasonic has given Ofunato, including for our elementary school sports days. I hope to put these LED light bulbs to good use in our elementary schools and community centers.
(Mayor Kimiaki Toda, Ofunato City)
Thank you for giving us light and hope. We will strive in these areas affected by the disaster to regain brighter days.
(NPO Tsukuru-Mura)
We are using the light bulbs in our support office, two of our local action centers, and three group homes. Our tenants and users, now being able to use LEDs in places previously without lights (also to save power at the same time), say "The atmosphere has become brighter too," "We feel relieved at having gotten rid of areas which seemed unsafe," and even unexpected comments like "Having this brightness gives you more motivation to do things." It has helped fix problems and brought more people to our offices; all of us have realized again the importance of lights.
(NPO Sokius Sendai)
Their house was about to collapse, and the lighting in the house they rented in a panic was quite dark. Since changing to LEDs their house has become brighter than they could have believed. (Omitted) They were surprised at their own lack of sensitivity in being able to live in such darkness without really noticing it. We received comments such as "It's surprising how much happier the children look with the room with much light, With the rooms so much brighter now, my kids will get angry with me if I don't do the cleaning."
(NPO Boken Asobiba)
- Fukushima, with its nuclear power plant issues, still has a long way to go to recovering. Facing this reality, we feel a sense of responsibility of having promoted nuclear power in the past. We will promote and encourage active use of LED light bulbs which lead to saving power.
- Replacing light bulbs are very challenging for people with disabilities. We are very happy that not only do LED light bulbs save power, they do not need to be exchanged as often, thanks to their long life.
(JDF Hisaichi Syogaisha Shien Center Fukushima)

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