In recent years, the Plan of Reducing Noise and Acquiring Quietness has been concerned with issues of environmental protection by paying attention to environmental protection and environmental education. Also, on June 5, the World Environment Day 2011, the “Environmental Education Act” went effective. The chapter four of the Environmental Education Act, “Environmental Education Promotion and Incentives”, the regulation in the Article 19, “Agencies, public enterprises and organizations, schools below the senior high school level and juridical associations who derive more than 50 percent of their income from government donations shall draw up an environmental education plan before January 31 each year to promote environmental education. All employees, teachers, and students shall participate in more than four hours of environmental education before December 31 each year. The implementation results of environmental education during the current year are to be reported to the central competent authority via the Internet before January 31 in the following year.” From then on, there’re many organizations taking active roles in the issue of environmental education that starts from young ages to root the ideas in mind for promoting the essence of environmental protection and leave a clean land for the next generation.

Ever since the establishment of the PSA Charitable Foundation, we care for children with hearing impairment. From the statistic result, the incidence of hearing impairment in both ears in infants is 3 per thousand (There are more than 300 thousand newborns every year in Taiwan, and there may be more than 300 infants having serious hearing loss.) More than 95% still have some remaining hearing ability, through early intervention with hearing aids, the stimulation and training could help prevent neurodegeneration, children with hearing impairment can enjoy the same rights of “listening and speaking”. Consequently, through the donation of the device, such as hearing aids and cochlear implant as well as the help of following reclamation service from the assistance of professional training conducted by the teachers of speech and hearing, it’s hoped that each child with hearing disability could be able to listen to the beautiful sound of heaven.

In this trend of environmental protection and the awareness of environmental education, we’ve been thinking about how to be more practically involved as well as fulfill the vision and value of the foundation. We’ve consulted and requested for support from the academic units, government, and enterprises, then we’ve gradually become concentrated and determined; the “noise prevention” has become the highlighted task, and we started full involvement in 2012. The reasons for choosing the theme are as below:

1. Starting from caring for children with hearing impairment and then to concerning the problem of noise in society as well as control and prevention, the policies are connected with overlapped resources for application to reach double effect with fewer efforts.
2. Among the 5 basic human senses (sight, hearing, smell, tasting, and touch), hearing is the easiest sense to adapt, but it also gets hurt easily without any awareness. It’s only until the hearing sense is decreased or lost do people feel sorry for themselves. Therefore, cultivating the concept of noise control and prevention is something that should be done immediately without any delay.
3. PSA Group has been manufacturing the passive components; it’s hard to avoid the environment-related issues in the working environment at the plant. Involved in the noise prevention and control, promoting correct concepts, it’s not only the education for the public but also a concrete action of caring employees in fulfilling the spirit of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and becoming Taiwan’s excellent enterprise.
4. Besides the governmental units and schools, there are not many general enterprises or non-profit organization focusing on the theme of “noise prevention and control” so the public feel unfamiliar with the issue. By taking up the issue, awareness of the public will increase, people’s care about it will increase

Goals of the Plan

1. Short-Term Goals:
1) Promoting noise prevention and control, help people by building the concepts of noise levels.
2) Reminding people of the danger caused by noise, help people with building their awareness and concern.
3) Integrating marketing tools in the establishment of intensive points that monitor noise everywhere.
2. Mid-Term Goals:
1) Inviting scholars to conduct academic research as well as integrating the power of the medical industry to explore the possibilities to reduce noise in the cities.
2) In accordance with government policies, we integrate the non-governmental resources to plan large-scale themed activities that can deepen people’s concepts of health care.
3) Building the simulation hall of hearing so people can experience true hearing loss and understand the importance of reducing noise.
3. Long-Term Goals:
1) Combining academic theory and statistics and holding public hearings to make the Noise Control Act published on December 3, 2008 become fully comprehensive.
2) Choosing a specific district or a city, we can establish a city or a district for a noise-free model and invite other districts or countries to observe and follow.
3) Multiplying Taiwan’s successful experience by implementing noise-free in designated provinces in Mainland China so as to promote the noise-free concept from Taiwan and spread throughout Asia.

Implementing Strategy

It takes five steps to develop a concept or build a habit: Strengthening the practice of changing motivation, defining specific actions, improving the practical power of action, encourage behavioral continuity, and adjusting the method for the programs; as a result, the implementing strategies of the plan will be set up by the 5 steps:

1. Strengthening the practice of changing motivation
1) Through positive marketing and reverse marketing, building people’s resolution capability.
2) Providing simple and convenient tools that inspire people to improve environmental noise problem, starting from oneself.
2. Defining specific actions, improving the practical power of action:
Defining the responding methods of noise and making them become simple steps and slogans that are convenient for people to convey and practice.
3. Improving practical power of action
With a wonderful experience, people are encouraged to be brave enough to change and strengthen the power of making changes.
4. Encourage behavioral continuity:
Through incentives or holding activities, positive responses will be stimulated and make the behavior last.
5. Adjusting the method for the programs
Collecting opinions during the process, making micro adjustments at any time, and properly modifying the program.

Program Planning

With the aims as listed above, the following programs will be implemented at different stages for completing each milestone.
1. “Visiting crucial units for seeking the way to collaborate or get support”
2. “Designing an APP for noise prevention and control”
3. “Planning a model district in the promotion of friendly cities”
4. “Holding large-scale advertising activities, promoting noise-free activities”
5. “Combining with the media for holding the quiz contest”
6. “Building a stimulation hall of hearing”
7. “Conducting academic research and consummating relevant laws and regulations.

For more details of recent implementation, please refer to “activity records of implementation plan of reducing noise and acquiring quietness“.