A pupil learns more about protecting the environment. DUBAI – Panasonic aims to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry in Middle East as part of Panasonic's group-wide global commitment to drive eco-innovation by 2018, the 100th anniversary of its foundation. One part of this Eco initiative is the annual ‘Eco Picture Diary Contest' aimed at encouraging school children aged 6 to 15 years to learn more about protecting the environment. Children have to illustrate and express their ideas and initiatives in writing, in the special “Eco Picture Diary". This Eco Diary is available at Panasonic showrooms, participating schools, and can be downloaded from the Panasonic website: (http://www.panasonic.ae/EN/Pages/Home.aspx) This year, children from 39 countries from across the globe, including 14 countries across Middle East and Africa are participating in the competition. Last year, Panasonic Corporation held the award ceremony of “Eco Picture Diary Global Contest" at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. In the 2011 Eco Picture Diary Global Contest, around 130,000 works were submitted by children from 37 countries, including Middle East and Africa. “The Eco Picture Diary competition has been very successful in the region and every year we see more and more schools and children taking part. It is very important that we encourage green learning in schools and this competition aims to teach young kids from a very early age about the importance of preserving and protecting the environment," said Anthony Peter, Director, Direct Communications & Customer Care (DCCC) Group, Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa Each applicant must submit a hand written Eco Diary booklet, complete with pictures and illustration. Kids are encouraged to participate in any activity that helps the environment and to use these as diary entries. Past examples of some of the activities have been helping with recycling at home, planting a tree at school or observations made which they believe are both good and bad for the environment. A regional awards ceremony for the Middle East and Africa participants will be held in Dubai, UAE and the top 3 winners will vie for top honors to be awarded at the Global ceremony to be held in Kyoto, Japan later this year. Panasonic strongly believes that teaching values surrounding the subject of a healthy environment at an early age will help develop a better understanding the need to protect our world. – SG
