TSC attaches great importance to environmental education, and diversified courses are actively planned in its environmental education centers. It is hoped that all the people living on this land can make rediscovery of the environment through the power of education.
Xihu Sugar Railway Cultural Park
Established in 1919, Xihu Sugar Refinery was originally named “Xihu Sugar Factory” and was renamed its current name after WW II and was taken over by the National Government. With the assistance of the Ministry of Culture, the Changhua County Government, and local cultural and historical workers, the restoration of the sugar factory buildings, landscape cultural relics and trains have been successively completed.
The important characteristics of Xihu Sugar Refinery is its dynamic preservation of sugar railway. Currently the vehicles that can run dynamically include No. 346 Steam Locomotive, No. 827 and No. 837 Diesel Locomotives, Railway Car No. 524, No. 152 Patrol Car, and passenger carrying cars transformed from sugarcane carts. The No. 346 Steam Locomotive that runs routinely weekly is the steam train that runs most frequently in Taiwan. It not only attracts domestic and overseas visitors but also serves as a spiritual indicator of the heritage and continuation of the Sugar Railway technology.
The Xihu Sugar Refinery currently offers three teaching modules: "The Sweet Secrets of Sugar", "Memories of the Sugar Train", and "Challenges from the Sugar Factory". In 2023, Xihu Sugar Refinery conducted 16 sessions of environmental education activities with a total participation of 857 individuals. Furthermore, the refinery received “Excellent” in the Evaluation of 2023 Environmental Education Institutions and Facilities.
Jianshanpi Environmental Learning Center
Established in 2003, the Jianshanpi Resort began transitioning to an ecological resort in 2015 and established the Jianshanpi Environmental Learning Center to promote environmental education and eco-friendly initiatives. In 2017, it obtained Environmental Education Facility Accreditation and Eco-friendly Hotel (Bronze Level) Certification, offering eco-tourism experiences in the shallow mountains while integrating eco-friendly accommodation and low-carbon dining. In 2020, it was honored with Excellence Award of the Organization Group in the National Environmental Education Award, and in 2021, it received Taiwan Sustainability Action Award (TSAA) for its firefly conservation efforts. In 2023, the resort further received National Enterprise Environmental Protection Award (Bronze).
The Jianshanpi Environmental Learning Center utilizes the resources within its park to develop various activities. Currently, it offers two sets of courses focusing on sugar industry and ecological themes, as well as experiences as ecological artisans. Visitors can participate in activities such as soil animal observation, firefly conservation, insect hotels, animal nest boxes, and various DIY projects including orchid transplantation for eco-living, owl seed DIY, butterfly hats, animal grilling painting, and coffee bean roasting. Additionally, the resort offers nighttime ecological observation experiences for overnight guests. In 2023, a total of 193 environmental education activities were conducted, with 5,369 participants.
Qiaotou Sugar Factory Cultural Park
Established in 2003, the Jianshanpi Resort began transitioning to an ecological resort in Qiaotou Sugar Refinery was established by Japanese in 1901. It was the first new-style sugar factory, and the first sugar factory in Taiwan to transform sugar crushing with animal power to modern machinery, and also served as the locomotive for Taiwan to step toward industrialization. The first sugar factory built in Qiaotou was the mechanized laboratory of Taiwan’s sugar industry. Its unique architecture, equipment, landscape, history, and other resources of sugar culture are worthy of complete preservation as a proof of the rise and fall of the sugar industry in Taiwan.
The development of sugar industry is now declining, the former sites of sugar factories are closely integrated with the community development, forming a special cultural background. Qiaotou Sugar Refinery is the first old-fashioned factory transformed into a modern factory, it is even the birthplace of Taiwan’s industrialization and has its important cultural, historical, and symbolic significance.
- In 2023, a total of 103 sessions were held for environmental education courses, with 3,655 participants.
- In collaboration with the MOENV, the "Owl's Universe RPG - Net Zero Town" reality puzzle game was held at the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery, attracting approximately 1,760 participants from 22 counties and cities across Taiwan.
- In 2023, in collaboration with the Kaohsiung City Environmental Protection Bureau and the MOENV, the "Green Life Expert, Taking the Sugar Train together" event was held, with 1,812 participants.
- In 2023, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, the "Sugar Factory Green Life, Happy Handmade Musical Ideas" event was held, with 200 participants.
- For its efforts in promoting environmental education, the Qiaotou Sugar Factory was awarded the "Kaohsiung City Social Education Contribution Award" in 2023.
Hualien Sugar Factory Environmental Education Center
The sugar industry used to play a crucial role in the development of Taiwan’s economy and society. The Japanese-style settlement culture generated from the Japanese colonial period with many touching stories behind the colonial history to the period of the Republic of China period. When the sugar factory started to work, the surrounding area was filled with sugar fragrance, and the sugar trains were busy shuttling through the sugarcane fields.
In Guangfu Township, Hualien Sugar Factory is the main source of income for the residents, the community structure, and even the key to local development and environmental change.
To enable the older generation to have something to remember by and to enable the younger generation to understand the historical value and significance of the sugar industry in Taiwan, and be more aware of the cultural significance of the sugar industry to the local environment, to shoulder the responsibility of environmental education, and to realize the mission of inheriting the culture of sugar industry in Taiwan, the Hualien Factory has been transformed into a tourism factory and environmental education center.
In 2023, there were a total of 11 environmental education sessions with 174 participants.
Dong Hai Feng Agricultural Circulation Park
Dong Hai Feng Livestock Farm was established in 1957. It was originally an old-fashioned pig farms with old equipment and poor efficiency and faced with problems such as protests for environmental protection. In recent years, to respond to the government’s New Agriculture and Circular Economy policies in the government’s 5+2 Policy, TSC has invested NTD 680 million in the renovation of this livestock farm into the Dong Hai Feng Agricultural Circulation Park, the very first agricultural and animal husbandry circulation park that combines green energy, water circulation, and biological circulation, forming a diversified environment with the integration of production, life, and ecology with the surrounding environment. The water curtain style pig house observation corridor is one of the important highlights in the park. It can enable close observation of the activities of pigs in the pig house. Historical buildings such as offices, farrowing sheds, boar pens, sow pens, and fan-shaped pig pens outdoors are preserved, and video/audio introduction of these places are made with historical stories. Visitors can better understand the stepwise development of the pig farming industry in Taiwan and the necessity for its transformation. This place is used for environmental education and recreation.
The Dong Hai Feng Agricultural Circulation Park is Taiwan's first environmental education site focused on "green energy pig farming." In 2023, it hosted visits and exchanges from government agencies, schools, research institutions, and corporate groups, totaling 1,665 participants. There were 10 environmental education events held, with a total of 277 participants. Among these, " Unveiling the Secrets of the Circular Pig Farm - Biogas Edition " was conducted 9 times, with 253 participants (for general adult courses), and "The World of Pigs" was held once, with 24 participants (for upper primary school students). These activities aimed to introduce participants to the pig farming industry, covering topics such as pig breeds, physiology, habits, animal welfare, farming methods, processing, as well as odor reduction during pig farming, and the harmless and resourceful utilization of pig manure and urine.