Lofty goals for Airbus school

Innovative spirit can be shared across boundaries, from developing eco-efficient airliners to offering the best possible education.

That was the message from Rainer Ohler, Airbus senior vice president for government affairs and communications, when the European aircraft manufacturer recently named Jinfeng Primary School in China's Sichuan province an "Airbus Innovation School."

Airbus donated 500,000 yuan to the school located near Mianyang, which was shattered by last year's earthquake. The donation will be used for reconstruction of the school and to purchase equipment needed to create the framework for its information technology facilities.

The rebuilt school, to open in the second half of 2009, will be four times larger than the old facility and much better equipped.

"We are here to deliver our promise that we made last year following the earthquake. Education and innovation are the two drivers of long-term, sustainable economic and social prosperity," Ohler said.

"We believe the spirit of innovation can be shared across boundaries and we rely on our young generation to carry on the innovative spirit. We want to internationalize not only our products but also the Airbus spirit of innovation," he said.

Airbus, founded in 1969 when US companies dominated the commercial jet market, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Airbus employees, local government officials, teachers and students have planted 40 ginkgo trees next to the site where the school will be located.

The company also launched a photographic competition called "See the Bigger Picture" in China to encourage children to explore and discover the biodiversity in life with their cameras. The competition is part of the worldwide Green Wave program, an outreach project established by the Convention on Biological Diversity, a United Nations treaty. It aims to raise awareness among young people of the importance of biodiversity.

On May 22 each year, schools across the world will each plant a local tree species at 10 am local time - uniting to send a "green wave" from east to west around the planet.

(China Daily 07/06/2009 page8)