CHENGDU, May 21, 2009 – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today opened the first
school in Sichuan Province which it built following the May 12, 2008
earthquake. Honeywell, its employees and non-profit humanitarian
organization Operation USA rebuilt and equipped the school to provide 280
schoolchildren with a safe, secure, energy-efficient and environmentally
friendly facility. The school is among as many as 9,000 schools that need to be
rebuilt.
The new school named Honeywell United Primary School targets to serve seven
villages from nearby towns of Xiushui, Feishui and Suishui. The school,
previously known as An County Xiushui Three Villages United Primary School,
before served only five neighboring villages. The bigger and more upscale
new campus will offer nursery, pre-school and primary classes to a
capacity of 350 children.
A commemorative monument was also unveiled today by Shane Tedjarati,
president and chief executive officer of Honeywell China and India. Engraved on
the monument were wordings that read: This monument commemorates the children
and their families who lost their lives in the earthquake and salutes the
people of Sichuan for their perseverance and optimism in rebuilding their
hometown. May the children of Honeywell United Primary School grow up to
be the hope and future of this great nation.
”A year might have gone by since the tragedy but the Sichuan people are still
held close to our hearts in Honeywell,” said Tedjarati. “Honeywell’s post-quake
efforts do not end with just the opening of one school…there is still plenty to
do for the Sichuan people to help them on their journey to recovery. I am
delighted that we have built the Honeywell United Primary School to be equipped
with modern equipment such as personal computers and with a safer, more secure
and more energy-efficient infrastructure.”
Representatives from local government departments, as well as
representatives from the United States General Consulate from Chengdu,
Operation USA, Safe Kids China, teachers, pupils and parent
representatives joined in the ceremony to unveil the commemorative monument and
to open the school.
Honeywell United Primary School’s headmaster Zhang Zhengbin said, “Getting
our school rebuilt is already a dream come true. But getting a bigger, better
equipped school that gives the opportunity for an education for more children
is beyond our dreams. We say a heartfelt thank-you to Honeywell and everyone
who worked tirelessly to give us this new school."
The rebuilding and equipping of the Honeywell United Primary School
underscores Honeywell Hometown Solutions, an evolutionary approach that focuses
its efforts on four important societal needs that align with Honeywell’s
heritage, products and people: Science and Math Education; Family Safety and
Security; Housing and Shelter; and Humanitarian Relief.
To create a safe and secure environment for the schoolchildren, the school
is installed with Honeywell closed circuit TV system, alarm systems, access
control systems and smoke detectors. In addition, Honeywell is partnering Safe
Kids China to provide lessons to the schoolchildren to develop a safety culture
in the school.
To create an energy-saving and environmentally friendly school, roofing
materials that provide better insulation to keep the school cool during summers
and warm during winters were used, while energy-saving lighting, switches and
solar water heaters will also contribute towards saving energy. In addition, a
Honeywell Whole-house Water Pre-Filtration System is installed to provide
clean, clear water to the entire school.
The strategic business groups in Honeywell that contributed technologies and
equipment include Specialty Materials and Automation & Control System, of
which several of its business units such as Honeywell Security & Data
Collection, Honeywell Life Safety, and Honeywell Environmental & Combustion
Controls provided solutions.
Honeywell will continue to identify and implement relief projects of high
impact on the lives of those still affected in the quake-affected areas.
Programs already approved include a second school to be rebuilt, the Zhong
Jiang County Dabao village school, as well as the construction of five village
clinics in the Liang Ping County, Chongqing.In addition, Honeywell has already
hired and settled in eight victims for its Shenzhen facilities as providing
employment opportunities to quake victims was also of high priority in the
post-quake relief efforts.
Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100
diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide
with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes
and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials.
Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York,
London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on
Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.