On the 2nd, the Mercedes-Benz social contribution committee and the Children and Future Foundation announced the completion ceremony for the restoration of the forest in Dohwa-dongsan, a major disaster area affected by last year’s large forest fires on the East Coast in Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
To support this forest restoration project, the Mercedes-Benz social contribution committee signed a cooperation agreement with four organizations, including Gyeongsangbuk-do, Uljin-gun, and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Comprehensive Volunteer Center, and provided a support fund of 600 million won last October.
Dohwa-dongsan, selected as the restoration area, was created in 2002 to honor the efforts of those who fought against the largest forest fire in East Coast history, which occurred in 2000. Last year in March, it suffered another loss due to the large-scale forest fire that spread across Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gangwon-do.
Attendees at the completion ceremony included Chairman Stefan Albrecht of the Mercedes-Benz social contribution committee (Vice President of Finance at Mercedes-Benz Korea), Gyeongsangbuk-do Deputy Governor Lee Dal-hee, Uljin County Mayor Son Byeong-bok, Chairman Lee Sang-gu of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Comprehensive Volunteer Center, Executive Director Park Du-joon of the Children and Future Foundation, and over 150 volunteers. They participated in activities such as commemorative tree planting, unveiling of information signs, and walking together in Dohwa-dongsan.
In this forest restoration project, the Mercedes-Benz social contribution committee planted over 6,000 trees in an area of about 40,000m2 in Dohwa-dongsan and installed amenities such as photo zones and park paths, helping to cleanse the pain and transform it into a beautiful recreational space for citizens.
Chairman Stefan Albrecht of the Mercedes-Benz social contribution committee expressed, “I am very pleased that the Mercedes-Benz social contribution committee could work with Gyeongsangbuk-do and Uljin-gun to restore part of Dohwa-dongsan, which was lost due to the forest fires that saddened the nation last spring.” He added, “I hope that many residents of Gyeongsangbuk-do and tourists will visit the beautifully blooming pink hills during the upcoming summer hibiscus season.”
Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz social contribution committee launched the ‘Green Plus’ program in 2021 for a sustainable future and has been conducting a variety of carbon-neutral and environmental protection activities. Last year, through a city forest creation project in cooperation with Seoul City, they completed a green space of 3,000 trees in Guro Cheonwang Neighborhood Park and plan to create additional city forests in three locations throughout Seoul.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr