GIGABYTE began supporting environmentally friendly Leopard Cat Rice in 2015. In June 2016., we hosted the “Guarding Leopard Cats and Forest Protection” working holiday where nearly 40 GIGABYTE employees traveled to the Fengshu Village community in Tongxiao, Miaoli, to learn about the environmentally friendly rice-growing technique of the local people. The local people insist on not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides in order to increase biodiversity around their fields. This in turn provided the Leopard Cat with a safe area to move and hunt in.
Fengshu Village is also home to the only intact charcoal kiln in Taiwan. The area was once home to a thriving charcoal industry but changes in the economy meant the kiln became abandoned and was in danger of collapsing. GIGABYTE employees joined old local craftsmen in learning how to repair the charcoal kiln. They also helped the residents with thinning the forests to give trees enough space to grow their canopy. The space will also be used by the community to teach local history and environmental education in the future.