Minqin (民勤)has a desertification problem. It’s surrounded on three sides by the Badain Jaran and Tengger Deserts. The landscape is yellowed and dry. Last year – in a spurt of CSR – Three Squirrels (三只松鼠) launched a public welfare campaign timed with Earth Day to plant more than 5,000 trees on Minqin’s desertified land. It was called A Green Letter to the Earth. The goal was ecological restoration and it came with a pledge to return the following year.
This Spring, that promise has been fulfilled. Three Squirrels have returned to its forest in Minqin alongside local volunteers and a continued tree-planting push. This year they’ve upped their game, donating supplies to tree-planters and forest workers in the forms of food, appliances, dining equipment and even pre-fab houses.
Once again, the stunt coincides with Earth Day (22 April). All this is under the command of the Minqin Afforestation Development Center with the aim of creating a more permanent base for the project – now dubbed Squirrel Shelter.
Real user/customer engagement has not been forgotten about. They’ve also teamed up with Tencent’s Micro Charity (腾讯微爱) to take the campaign online. The public have been invited to ping messages of encouragement through the world wide web. They’ll be passed on to volunteers in Minqin along with care packages that turn goodwill into tangible support.
There’s also a programme called Cloud Adoption of Saxaul Trees – saxual trees are the trees they’re planting (very good for combating desertification) – whereby brand-fans who can’t make it to Minqin can adopt a tree from the forest.
The Dao View: Three Squirrels and environmental CSR
Three Squirrels has been solid on environmental protection efforts for a long time now. The planting of trees in Minqin is just the latest move. Previously they’ve been public about integrating sustainability into their production and logistics systems and named environmental responsibility a long-term commitment. All hail the Squirrel Daddy.
