Sony Assurance Makes Donations to Sorabear Foundation for Kindergartens

Copyright Sony Assurance Inc.

Sony Assurance Inc., a non-life insurance company under Sony Financial Holdings, and the Sorabear Foundation (Sorabea-kikin) announced on November 20, 2009, the name of a kindergarten that will receive a photovoltaic generation system, "Sorabear Power Generation Equipment," through Sony Assurance's "Solar Power Generators for Kindergartens" program. After going through the application screening, drawing, and on-site inspection, Souzou-no-Mori Nursery School located in Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture, was selected from the total of 55 kindergartens that applied for the project. A ceremony was held on December 4, 2009, to commemorate the donation of the "Sorabear Power Generation Equipment."

The Sorabear Foundation (Sorabea-kikin) is a Japanese nonprofit organization that promotes green energy and environmental education among children by using polar bear campaign character "Little Bear" and "Big Bear." Sony Assurance makes donations to the foundation through the "Solar Power Generators for Kindergartens" program which was started in March 2009. The company utilizes the mechanism in its "pay per distance driven" auto insurance to calculate the differences of distance between the forecast and result. It donates one yen per 100 kilometers to the Sorabear Foundation, if policyholders' actual distance driven is less than their forecast.

Three months into the program, at the end of May 2009, the mileage that automobile insurance policyholders saved by not driving reached the monetary equivalent of 3.5 million yen (about U.S.$38,000), which is equivalent to the cost of installing one solar power generation facility, allowing Sony Assurance to make a donation to the Sorabear Foundation and install the solar power generators at the kindergarten.

Posted: 2010/02/13 06:00:15 AM