PEARC – Programa de Educação Ambiental e Relacionamento com a Comunidade (Program of Environmental Education and Relationship with the Community)

To be a truly sustainable company is to know how to respect and integrate economic, social, environmental and cultural aspects, creating differentiated value for various audiences. It was while thinking about this model that VCP developed Programa de Educação Ambiental e Relacionamento com a Comunidade (PEARC).

By means of PEARC, VCP educates and boosts the awareness of local communities in relation to the importance of respect for the environment. The work is developed by the Environmental Education Centers (NEAs), which serve as a basis for the development of activities focused on the topic. In this manner, knowledge is offered that permits a greater understanding of the matters, besides the identification and resolution of problems.

One of the main characteristics of the Environmental Education Centers of PEARC is their dynamic and innovative essence. With four streams for the delivery of services to the internal and external audience, the program develops environmental education activities and promotes the integration of the company with the communities adjacent to its operational areas.

The lines of activity are as follows:

Environmental Awareness and Sensitivity

Consists of educational work relating to the conservation of natural resources and to the environmental impacts with an emphasis on regional matters. This line is developed by means of the following activities:

• Environmental Interpretation
• Speeches
• Exhibitions in public places
• Mobile Libraries
• Preparation of didactic material
• Events on commemorative dates
• Contests (drawings, phrases, writing)

Practices of Incentive to the Conservation of Natural Resources

A sense of responsibility, rational use and the development of attitudes that contribute to the conservation of natural resources are stimulated by the following activities:

• Courses and workshops that encourage the practice of the 3Rs)
• Project “Água Doce”, which emphasizes the importance of water resources and their conservation
• Project “Amigos do Verde”, which informs about the richness of the regional flora and encourages the planting of trees in urban areas and the creation of green spaces such as vegetable gardens and flower gardens, besides the recovery of degraded areas with the planting of native species;
• Project “De Olho no Bicho”, which enhances the value of the richness of the local fauna and provides information about the situation of the conservation of species.

Relationship with the Community

Getting to know the communities influenced by the company’s operations, understanding their dynamics and integrating the company to their day-to-day activities. To attain these objectives the Program has units (NEAs) included in the urban zone of cities, developing activities that involve both the urban and the rural population. The Program has a specific project to improve communication with the communities and to understand their demands.

Institutional Relationship

PEARC establishes contact with the governmental and non-governmental entities that exist in the areas of activity of the company, offering information by means of technical visits to forest units and forming partnerships for the development of socioenvironmental projects.