Employee-volunteers from Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation work in teams as they clean surrounding areas of their office during the Smile Earth! Clean Up our Earth Together Day.

Over a hundred employees of Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) participate in an annual voluntary activity called “Smile Earth! Clean Up our Earth Together Day”.

The activity entails de-cluttering open gutters and canals to remove clogs, picking up trash from plant boxes and open areas, and segregating collected garbage in select areas along Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and Jupiter Street in Makati City. The group collected 97 kilos of trash and has inspired its surrounding community to carry on regular cleaning and maintenance of the busy streets.

APC President Taro Fujie said “We all rely on nature for our basic needs and we believe that through this clean-up activity our company can inspire change and contribute greatly in caring for the environment.”

“The outcome of what we do goes beyond the number of bags and kilos of garbage we collect. It teaches and reminds everyone the proper way of waste segregation and more importantly, the discipline to always keep our surroundings clean and healthy.” said Mr. Rodel Castro from APC’s IT Department. Mr. Castro has annually participated in this event since 2008.

Ajinomoto Group’s Smile Earth! Program is a global campaign that unifies around 30,000 Ajinomoto Group employees worldwide in addressing environmental issues for the betterment of their respective local communities and the society.