ESG News

Written by: Xiao Bian

“Be content even in adversity, and enjoy the moment.” I like this motto in particular. One must feel willing and delighted when carrying out a task. We accompanied the students from the Taichung Tsu-Hsin Children’s Home to “The Can”, a social enterprise in Sanxia, to experience tofu making, leather coloring and wood carving.

The founder shared his original intention. Looking at his hometown more than 10 years ago, the drainage waterways in Sanxia were constantly being dredged and cleaned out due to the accumulation of man-made industrial wastes. Because of this, he decided to start a business to integrate social resources and founded Hidekawa (a natural soy food store), The Can, and the JOUJI Restaurant. He also strives for the education of disadvantaged children. The river cleanup activity started with only a dozen people, and now it’s a big event that hundreds of people participate in, with participants as young as elementary school students all contributing their efforts to promote the development of local industries. It may not be possible to quickly improve the environment, education and industry, but after ten years of persistence, it is believed that the nearby cultural environment has been changing little by little, and is becoming better for it by forming a virtuous cycle.

Tofu making: Soy milk was first added to a pot. It was stirred slowly until its temperature reached 80° C. Brine was added evenly into the soy milk to cause coagulation. The mixture was then poured it into a mold, which was then pressed to squeeze out the water, forming tofu, a commonly used cooking ingredient at home.

Leather coloring and sewing: the leather was colored using professional pigments according to the coloring procedures, and was then sewn to form a one-of-a-kind Monstera deliciosa-shaped brooch.

Hand-carved wooden coasters: we learned the skills from an expert to carve patterns and words on the wood. Wood carving is a craft that requires great focus and patience. In this activity, we created unique coasters.

After a day of learning and experiencing the craftsmanship of area experts as well as some of the local culture of Sanxia, I was deeply moved by the idea of the founder of “The Can”. I believe there must be others who’ve been moved by his ideas. As a result, more and more talents have returned to join the common dream, improving the enterprise. I also hope that the rivers in and around Sanxia can be the same as the founder imagined, like the rivers that have been restored in Japan. Seeing Sanxia is like seeing the world. The social problems seen in Sanxia are believed to be happening in places around us as well. Regardless of environmental protection, education, or corporate responsibility, fixing these problems can be developed starting with each one of us, adopting the power of a virtuous cycle to make everyone better and better!