[Harumanbo Harucheonja] Walking for Our Health, Caring for Earth's Health Too

Walking is a way to improve not only our physical health but also the health of the planet.

WeWork campaign image
Photo by Korea Investment & Securities

Modern society continuously emits carbon gases such as carbon dioxide due to the use of fossil fuels in various activities. In particular, carbon emissions related to transportation, used when people or goods move, are known to account for 25% of total carbon emissions.

Based on 1 km of travel, a passenger car emits 210g, a bus emits 27.7g, and the subway emits 1.53g of carbon. In contrast, walking or cycling produces no carbon emissions. Walking 10,000 steps a day can reduce about 1.86 kg of carbon, so using public transportation instead of private cars, and walking or cycling instead of public transportation, can benefit not only our bodies but also environmental conservation.

Companies are also actively participating in related activities from the perspective of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management and promoting employee health. Korea Investment & Securities is conducting an employee step donation campaign called "WE:walk" this month to achieve carbon neutrality. If employees collectively walk more than 100 million steps in a month, a donation will be made to support forest creation. The donation will be used to plant trees for the ecological restoration of Jungnangcheon in Seoul.

Kim Seong-hwan, CEO of Korea Investment & Securities, said, "We expect employees to participate in environmental protection and sharing by paying small attention in their daily lives," adding, "We will continue to lead ESG management by expanding a culture of sharing within the organization through various social contribution activities."

Hanwha TotalEnergies also held the "Chemist Walking Competition" last month. This social contribution activity aimed to create the "Hanwha TotalEnergies Forest" in Mongolia, where desertification has rapidly progressed due to indiscriminate development and climate change.

As a result, about 750 employees walked a total of 157 million steps. To commemorate reaching 100 million steps, Hanwha TotalEnergies donated 10 million KRW to the nonprofit organization Blue Asia for forest creation. The steps collected during the competition were donated through the walking application BigWalk. The 157 million steps correspond to a distance of 110,000 km, which is said to have the effect of planting 3,482 pine trees compared to using cars or other vehicles.

Dobong-gu, Seoul, will hold the event "Carbon Neutral City Dobong, Walking Together for Our Neighborhood's Value" on the 20th. Held in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, this event involves walking a 2.8 km section together while answering environmental quizzes and participating in a carbon empathy mileage accumulation mission.