Common Understanding · Common Consensus · Collective Action and

A Breeze from the Woods

An Initiative to Promote Eco-protection Concept “Co-exist with Earth”

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 18 November 2021 – Tzu Chi Environmental Action Center (“Action Center”) will open to the public for free starting November 20, 2021, after green restoration of its original premises. With an aim to promote the public’s awareness of environmental protection, the Action Center will stage two art exhibitions, Common Understanding · Common Consensus · Collective Action and A Breeze from the Woods in its first season. Each in unique style carries equivalent message toward environmental concern. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is the funder for the Action Center’s environmental programmes, exhibitions, and related expenses. In addition to exhibitions, the Jockey Club “Begin in the Heart” Environmental Collective Action Programme consists of a series of workshops, vegetarian cooking classes, and themed talks on regimen, climate change and green architecture.

Chief Executive Officer of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Hong Kong Ltd. (“Tzu Chi Hong Kong”) cum representative of the Exhibition Curatorial Committee Chung Ling SZE explained, “In addition to the Action Center’s regular educational programs for the community and schools, ‘The Planet Room’ and ‘Jockey Club Eco Co-Creation Space’ are two spaces designed for exhibition activities. We hope to share our beliefs on ‘Common Understanding, Common Consensus, Collective Action’, ‘Purification at Source’ and the 7Rs^[1] spirit through cooperation with different artists at both spaces; thereby, encouraging visitors to practice the environmental protection concept of ‘Co-exist with Earth'”.

Climate change has brought forth extreme natural hazards. Over the years, excessive use of fossil fuels, deforestation and animal husbandry, along with overconsumption have severely damaged the ecological environment, leading to seasonal instability and subsequently wind, water, fire and land disasters. Architect cum representative of the Exhibition Curatorial Committee Corrin CHAN pointed out, “When it came to curating these two exhibitions, our curatorial committee and team adhered to the belief of ‘Co-exist with Earth’. Backed by statistical research, the opening exhibition Common Understanding · Common Consensus · Collective Action reveals the catastrophic imprints from wind disasters, floods, water pollution, forest fires, and human behavior on the earth through a combination of visuals, short films, audio installation and exhibits, aiming to connect visitors with their body and mind. The other themed exhibition A Breeze from the Woods showcases the joy to life with the reuse of waste wood.”

Opening Exhibition – Common Understanding · Common Consensus · Collective Action at The Planet Room (Permanent Exhibition starting November 20, 2021)

The exhibition begins with Common Understanding toward the global warming crisis and its major causes, sets to achieve Common Consensus among visitors on the importance to phasing out the continuous climatic hazards through the learning of 7Rs rule, and encourages the visitors to become a Common Action Taker after awakening, live a simple life by implementing “Purification at Source”, and reach a harmonic co-existence with our planet.

Recommended viewing sequence for Common Understanding · Common Consensus · Collective Action is as follows:

Wind – Through short films to view casualties and financial losses around the globe caused by wind disasters, such as tornadoes and tropical cyclones.

Water – An abnormal climate has caused localized flooding disasters on the planet, as well as heavy rains and blizzards to occur one after another, while in some places there have been persistent droughts resulting from insufficient rainfall. The interactive installation “Hong Kong in 10 Bottles” assessed the quality of Hong Kong’s water resources whose samples were collected from 10 places in town by Tzu Chi volunteers from different age groups.

Fire – Wildfires caused by lightning strikes, droughts and human factors not only burn down forests and human living facilities, but the toxic smoke they produced also induces respiratory diseases.

Land – The impact of human destruction on mountains, forests, and land are evident when a number of severe soil erosion occur amid earthquakes and heavy rains. Chris CHEUNG (h0nh1m)’s interactive ink installation Carbon Reveries records the stupefying increase in carbon emission over the past 63 years. 12 bamboo pipes are used to form a bamboo grove. Each corresponds to a set of annual carbon emission data, allowing visitors to rethink the relationship between carbon emission, nature’s vibrancy and human intervention to the ecosystem. Chris explained, “This work makes visitors feel as if they were in the bamboo grove, breathing in sync with the nature and sensing the vibrancy of nature. When visitors touch each bamboo pipe with their own hands, the warm temperature of their palm will make the ink color of the bamboo pipe gradually fade out, implying human intervention to the nature.  The entire installation also looks like a set of factory exhaust pipes, reminding visitors that global warming is a crisis that brooks no further delay.” Upon understanding the irregularities of wind, water, fire and land, visitors can meditate at the round-shaped mediation area to reflect on what have been seen, heard, and felt; together with the round, mellow and harmonious sound of singing bowls, the entire setup is intended to awaken and inspire visitors to environmental protection from the body, mind to consciousness.

Themed Exhibition – A Breeze from the Woods at Jockey Club Eco Co-Creation Space (November 20, 2021 to March 12, 2022)

Woodwork artist Che LAM (Che Gor) has been engaged in hand-made woodwork for nearly two decades. His themed exhibition A Breeze from the Woods features a large-scale installation of 108 wooden sharks of various sizes. Hanging down horizontally from the ceiling to the ground, this installation brings visitors the pleasure of being in the deepness of the ocean, where they gaze face-to-face with the sharks. As an enthusiastic diver himself, Che Gor thinks that sharks are not terrible.  The stronger preying upon the weaker follows the law of nature, while high-end predators in the food chain like sharks are only small creatives existing in nature, yet the most important link to maintain the marine ecosystem. There are also several different mortise and tenon wooden furniture and toys on display at the same venue, including tenon wooden stools, wooden radios, wooden boxes with frosted glass depicting begonia flower motifs, wooden mobile phone holders, etc. Che Gor says, “Tzu Chi Environmental Action Center’s belief in cherishing materials coincides with my belief in ‘trees have life’ and the recycling of surplus wood and waste wood from any renovation projects.  I believe visitors to the Action Center will understand the power of environmental protection and will use all natural resources in a proper way.” A series of sharing sessions and workshops will be held in December, allowing visitors to craft wooden tops, mobile phone holders and experience tenon joints of wooden stroller assembly, etc. For registration and details, please refer to the Action Center’s official website.

Members of the Tzu Chi Environmental Action Center Curatorial Committee include Chung Ling SZE, Shu Lin LEE, Wing Kam LEUNG, Yuk Lin CHOW, Ching Hsiu HUANG, Man Lee NG and Corrin CHAN. Advisors include Stanley WONG (Anothermountainman) and Chi-ming SHUN (Opening Exhibition), while Kathfree FUNG and Sunny WONG are co-curators for both exhibitions.

Tzu Chi Environmental Action Center

About Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation HK Ltd.

Established in 1993, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Hong Kong Ltd. is a non-profit charity organization upholding the spirit of great-loving kindness with the elements of “Sincerity, Integrity, Faith and Truthfulness” and “Unconditional Kindness. Universal Great Compassion” for more than two decades. Apart from actively promoting charitable works, such as regular visits to hospitals, homes for the blind, nursing homes, mentally recovered individuals, and schools for physically- challenged children, Tzu Chi Hong Kong also engages in other benevolent works from cases, including individual care services, visits to the homeless, emergency relief and free health check. Additionally, the Hong Kong chapter is committed to promoting Tzu Chi’s humanistic culture, advocating the teaching of Jing Si Aphorisms, organizing parent-child growth classes for children, and providing financial assistance for the underprivileged students.

In November 2009, Tzu Chi established the first environmental education station in the Tai Wai Liaison Office, where a new impetus was injected to power Tzu Chi’s mission on Hong Kong’s environmental protection. The Hong Kong branch has so far set up a network of 20 environmental recycling stations throughout the city. The total weight of recycling items, with the inclusion of plastic, paper, hardware and glass, amassed from the community was 268,128 kg in 2019. Tzu Chi has begun to operate the “GREEN@QUARRY BAY” which is one of the recycle stores of the “GREEN@COMMUNITY” program launched by the Environmental Protection Department. “GREEN@QUARRY BAY” launched since the end of December 2020 has taken Tzu Chi Hong Kong to a new chapter in environmental recycling.

For more information, please refer to Tzu Chi Environmental Action Center official website: www.tzuchieac.org.hk

For higher resolution photos and captions, please check this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ntc42r12e10mdd4/AABCuvRb_0ZT5U1H_Bx0DUmua?dl=0

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Brands in Asia Pacific can now join the growing number of global enterprises that are discovering the power of organic search, achieving impressive measurable results from search as a key performance marketing channel.  

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 November 2021 – Botify, the leading enterprise software company for performance-driven organic search, today announced its incorporation in Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. This promises to help Asia-Pacific customers transform their SEO strategies and capabilities, scaling up the performance of their websites through the sustainable growth of online traffic and revenue from organic search.

Meet the Botify team in Asia Pacific

“There are growing numbers of regional and local brands that are looking to enhance their traffic and revenue through more robust SEO strategies and capabilities. Establishing Botify locally in Asia Pacific, allows us to better serve their needs, Ghislain Le Chatelier, President of Botify Asia Pacific said.  “We’re investing more resources locally, like sales & marketing, professional services and customer success, to get closer to our customers and partners, and better serve their needs. We are excited to work every day with our customers in these markets, to help drive their sustainable growth through search”.

Botify has a track record of optimising the websites of some of the world’s largest brands (including Expedia, Macy’s, L’Oréal, The New York Times, Groupon, Marriott, Farfetch), generating hundreds of millions of visits and billions of dollars from organic search. According  to a Forrester Report, assessing the Total Economic Impact™ of Botify, enterprise organisations using the platform can achieve a 584% ROI from their SEO and less than 3 months payback period. The key metrics used by our customers include:

●      New traffic growth

●      Retention/loss prevention of existing traffic

●      Reduction in overhead costs due to productivity gains

Building on this global success, and the growing groundswell of companies seeking advantage through organic, Botify Asia brings best practices to regional customers including: Airtasker, Zalora, Tiki, IOIX, Furla Japan and more.

For example, one global Food & Beverage retail customer in Japan has achieved 29X ROI by adopting Botify’s enterprise SEO solution, enabling their new online ordering channel to generate sustainable sales revenue over a 12-month period.

Following the US$55 million Series C funding in 2021, Botify is doubling-down on machine learning technologies to develop new, innovative features for its enterprise customers. These features will enhance its ML and AI-powered SEO platform, strengthening the unmatched depth and scale of its analytical and automation capabilities. Through such developments Botify is steadily leading a revolution in optimised organic for enterprises, helping brands and their customers around the world unlock the full potential of search. We are proud to reinforce our commitment to enabling these outcomes in Asia Pacific.

About Botify

Botify is an enterprise software company that helps brands turn organic search into an efficient, measurable, and sustainable channel for growing both traffic and revenue. Powered by a unique unified data model, prescriptive insights, and automated processes, Botify delivers a powerful end-to-end enterprise SEO solution that enables customers to unlock the true potential of their websites. If search unlocks the internet, Botify unlocks search. For brands, consumers and for the good of all. By reducing their reliance on paid, Botify’s solution helps brands to be found and favoured by their customers, and helps marketers stay on top with fewer resources. Botify’s enterprise SEO solution is used by 500+ leading companies across industries including e-commerce, travel, media & publishing, classifieds, and more.

Founded in 2012, Botify is a fast-growing, VC-backed, SaaS company with $82M in funding and offices in New York, Seattle, Paris, London, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

For more information, please visit botify.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/botify
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/botify
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/botify
IG: https://www.instagram.com/botify/

#botify #botifyasia #botifyapac #seo #enterpriseseo #sasgrowth #websitetraffic

JAKARTA, INDONESIA/SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 November 2021 – Exporter of sustainable palm oil, Apical Group joined forces with the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the Indonesian Vegetable Oil Industry Association (GIMNI), Indonesian Association of Biofuel Producers (APROBI), and a number of key opinion leaders from various industries, to launch a sustainable palm oil initiative “Powered by Palm Oil”.

Through this initiative, Apical Group, a member of the RGE group of resources-based companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto in 1973, seeks to improve sustainable business practices and raise greater awareness, especially among the younger generation, on the importance and impact of palm oil on communities and everyday life.

Bernard Riedo, RGE Palm Business Director said, “This initiative allows us to share knowledge and insights with Indonesians, especially the younger generation, on the prevalence of palm oil in everyday life and its many uses. As we commemorate Heroes’ Day (Hari Pahlawan) in Indonesia today, we have hope that the younger generation can become agents of change in promoting sustainable palm oil.”

Margareth Naulie Panggabean, Outreach and Engagement RSPO Indonesia said, “We support Apical to continue to cultivate sustainable palm oil while also educating the younger generation that buying products that use certified sustainable palm oil is the best choice you can make in supporting a more sustainable palm oil industry.”

Sahat Sinaga, Executive Director of GIMNI observed that for the past eight years, palm oil has continued to remain a major Indonesian export other than coal. The palm oil industry provides employment for many and is a source of foreign exchange. It remains important for Indonesians to better understand how many economic activities are heavily supported by palm oil. Additionally, oil palms grow well in tropical areas with high rainfall, and their production is able to meet national and global needs.

“From the total 47 million tons of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) produced by Indonesia, 20 million tons are for domestic consumption, of which 9 million tons are used for biodiesel, 7 million tons for food, and 2.5 million tons for oleochemical use, and the rest for other uses. Palm oil is therefore very important for this nation. The solution is not to replace palm oil with other vegetable oils, but how to make this industry more sustainable and this is a big challenge the younger generation of Indonesians will face,” added Sahat.

Compared to other countries, Indonesia is more advanced in its use of new and renewable energy, such as biodiesel. Jummy Bismar Martua Sinaga, Head of Research & Technology APROBI explained, “We have to optimize Indonesia’s palm oil as a resource. The B30 program provides employment for more than one million workers and increases farmers’ incomes. APROBI also wants to share the information that palm oil is not only used for food but is also a source of energy.”

At the event, Apical introduced four key opinion leaders from the “Palm Oil Nation” campaign consisting of practitioners from various industries, such as Kwik Wan Tien, General Manager of Nutrifood (WRP brands); Anisa Sulandana. Brahmantyo, De La House Brand & Product Marketing Director and advocate of the use of sustainable palm oil; Tigran Denre Sonda, an exporter of Harumas cooking oil, an Apical product; and Ryan Haryanto, an Asian Formula Renault driver who supports the use of biodiesel from palm oil as an effort to strengthen energy security.

The campaign has useful content that will be published every two weeks from November 10, 2021 on all Apical Group social media channels. This marks one of Apical’s many efforts to engage the younger generation in Indonesia under its #Apicalpeduli (Apical Cares) movement. Since 2020, Apical has actively engaged communities through various activities to spread positive messages and build resilience.

About Apical

Apical Group is one of the largest palm oil exporters in Indonesia, owning and controlling a broad spectrum of the palm oil business value chain from sourcing to distribution. The company is also involved in the refining, processing of palm oil for domestic use and for international export. Its operations are located in Indonesia, China and Spain, and include six refineries, four biodiesel plants, two oleo chemical plants and a kernel crushing plant. Through joint ventures, Apical also has tolling and distribution operations in India, Pakistan, Philippines and Brazil. Apical’s business is built on an extensive sourcing network in Indonesia with integrated refinery assets in strategic locations. This is reinforced by efficient logistics channels supported by Apical’s own infrastructure to deliver to a wide range of clients from international trading houses to local industrial buyers. With its unique business model, Apical has been able to control product quality and address sustainability and food safety concerns, while running highly efficient operations in world-class refineries and integrated storage and bulking facilities.

https://www.apicalgroup.com/

Apical 2020 Sustainability Report

#Apical