Integrated
Annual Report 2011

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Grupa LOTOS S.A. - Integrated Annual Report 2011
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Relationships with the local community

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In 2011, Grupa LOTOS carried out broad-based opinion polling and consultations with representatives of its key stakeholder groups, especially the local communities living in the vicinity of the LOTOS Group’s main production facilities, i.e. in Gdańsk, Czechowice-Dziedzice and Jasło. In each of those locations, several entities of the LOTOS Group operate, including the Gdańsk refinery and former Southern Refineries, currently operating as LOTOS Czechowice and LOTOS Jasło.

In the course of its consultations with stakeholders, among whom - besides residents of the immediate vicinity of the LOTOS Group’s facilities - were residents of the key municipalities and provinces, representatives of NGOs, local government units of all levels, public authorities, as well as R&D and educational institutions, the Company identified key involvement areas on which, in the stakeholders’ opinion, it should focus its endeavours.

 

Based on the results obtained, the Company re-evaluated the existing directions of its CSR initiatives. During strategy-related workshops organized at the LOTOS Group in 2011, the LOTOS Group’s competences were identified in the following areas of social life:

  • road traffic safety, which Grupa LOTOS influences through the quality of its products and comprehensive educational campaigns;
  • equal opportunity initiatives and prevention of social exclusion, especially among children and youth, to whom Grupa LOTOS addresses its scholarship grants, environmental education projects and sports-based education projects;
  • environmental protection and promotion of environmental awareness, especially with respect to biodiversity of the Baltic Sea given the seaboard location of the Grupa LOTOS’ refinery, as well as other areas of great natural value located in the imminent vicinity of LOTOS Group companies.

Decisions regarding strategic objectives of the LOTOS Group’s social involvement are made by the Board of Grupa LOTOS. The Communications and CSR Director Division, separated within the organizational structure of Grupa LOTOS, reports directly to the Board. Current initiatives are being implemented in line with the strategy approved in 2008. In 2012, new objectives for the Company’s CSR activity are to be set down, aligned with its business strategy, i.e. until 2015.

In the areas where the LOTOS Group uses its competences to prevent material social and environmental issues, numerous initiatives were carried out in 2011, many of which had already been run for several years as long-term programmes.

On June 27th 2011, the Ordinary General Shareholders Meeting of Grupa LOTOS adopted a resolution on distribution of the profit for 2010. Under the resolution, part of Grupa LOTOS’ net profit in the amount of PLN 1,500 thousand was earmarked for the special account used to finance Grupa LOTOS’ CSR projects, including projects related to health care and promotion of health.

In 2011, the total amount of donations transferred by Grupa LOTOS to beneficiaries from outside the Company stood at PLN 706 thousand, as compared to PLN 1,240 thousand in 2010. The total amount of donations transferred to external beneficiaries by the LOTOS Group was PLN 837 thousand in 2011, whereas in 2010 it was PLN 1,485 thousand.

Grupa LOTOS grants support in the form of donations from the special account to the LOTOS Group’s employees and their families, as well as old-age and disability pensioners who suffer from serious health problems. In 2011, seven employees received donations totalling PLN 93.4 thousand.

comment - Katarzyna Sikorska,  Head of Sponsoring, Public Matters and CSR Office

Responsibility for the quality of life in the immediate environment of the facilities operated by the LOTOS Group is a distinctive feature of our approach to social issues. The LOTOS Group runs its business with due regard to the needs of local populations, as well as key social and environmental challenges arising in the areas influenced by our operations. We agree with the European Union’s definition of CSR as a company’s responsibility for its impact on society.

Making a positive contribution to society is one of the key premises of our CSR strategy. However, the mere fact that we have formulated such a strategy demonstrates that our activities are well-oriented and focused on certain areas determined by the LOTOS Group’s competencies. And by competencies we mean the organization’s ability to combine people’s expertise and resources in pursuit of strategic objectives. The awareness of various social and environmental aspects of the LOTOS Group’s operations, as well as its human, technological and organizational resources, are factors determining our competencies, but also materially affecting our decisions as to the purpose and nature of our social involvement. In line with the CSR strategy adopted by the Board of Grupa LOTOS, the LOTOS Group focuses its efforts on areas posing problems and challenges important not only for a given population, but also for the LOTOS Group’s business. Thanks to that community of interests, we have a chance to make a real contribution to social development.

The CSR strategy is our response to problems identified in the LOTOS Group’s environment, reflecting the conviction that through our efforts we can remedy those problems or prevent their further exacerbation. At the same time, we strive to maximise our positive impact by optimally leveraging our competencies and knowledge gained in the course of cooperation with social partners specialising in specific social and environmental issues.

The LOTOS Group is involved in three key areas: road traffic safety, equal opportunities and prevention of social exclusion, and environmental protection.

A high level of road traffic risks is an acute social problem both in Poland and elsewhere in the world. Aware of their consequences, in 2009 Grupa LOTOS signed the European Road Safety Charter – an initiative of the European Commission. As an oil company marketing fuels and bitumens of the highest quality, we contribute to the quality of driving in Poland. Well-placed to join accident prevention efforts, the Company serves the cause both through the quality of its products and through comprehensive educational initiatives launched as part of “Akademia Bezpieczeństwa LOTOS” (“LOTOS Safety Academy”). The Academy’s key project is the “LOTOS – Bezpieczna droga do szkoły” (“LOTOS – Safe Journey to School”) programme, focusing on the safety of the youngest road users – schoolchildren, as well as their parents and carers. The first initiatives in this area were taken in the LOTOS Group back in 1998. Every year, the LOTOS Group provides comprehensive education to hundreds of programme participants from regions lying within the sphere of its influence: the Province of Gdańsk and Counties of Czechowice–Dziedzice and Jasło, where the LOTOS Group companies are based. LOTOS Group is aided in its efforts by police officers and road safety experts.

The second important area covered by the LOTOS Group’s CSR strategy involves tackling social inequalities and preventing social exclusion, especially among children and youth, to whom we extend various forms of assistance. In order to choose the most effective and adequate form of help, we rely on our insight into real problems gained thanks to the proximity to and good relations with local communities living within the LOTOS Group’s immediate neighbourhood. These communities are beneficiaries of the Company’s projects under the “Dobry Sąsiad” (“Good Neighbour”) programme, an internally developed social initiative. People living in the vicinity of our plants struggle with various problems, frequently having their roots in a lower social status or even social ills. That is why we are committed to improving the quality of these people’s lives, with a special focus on children and adolescents, for whom we strive to create conditions more conducive to development. We attach great importance to this objective, as one of the LOTOS values is strong orientation towards the future, which will soon be shaped by these young people around us. In order to make their future as bright as possible, we undertake a variety of initiatives. The LOTOS Group co-finances summer and winter holidays for the most needy children, initiates campaigns to raise environmental awareness and supports the development of modern sports infrastructure, which enables children to pursue their passions and interests and may bring a lot of benefits in the future. Thanks to the cooperation with Caritas Polska, a Catholic charity, we run the “Skrzydła z Grupą LOTOS” (“Wings with Grupa LOTOS”) scholarship programme, addressed to talented youth from low-income families.

Another key issue for us is environmental protection. The Company focuses its efforts primarily on the biodiversity of the Baltic Sea, given the seaside location of Grupa LOTOS’ refinery. In cooperation with the Gdańsk University Development Foundation and the Marine Station of the Gdańsk University Oceanography Institute in Hel, we are committed to protecting endangered species of the Baltic flora and fauna, in particular the very rare porpoise, as well as raising environmental awareness of local communities and tourists visiting Pomerania. To that end, we have launched numerous information and education campaigns. The LOTOS Group takes similar measures with respect to areas of great natural value in the imminent vicinity of the LOTOS Group companies, in particular NATURA 2000 sites and animal reserves. The Company’s competence in this area is based on the extensive expertise of its specialists, gained thanks to the priority treatment of environmental issues. Our facilities comply with the strictest environmental criteria, while the quality standards set for particular product groups and processes are more stringent than those imposed by the European Union. Our continuous improvement in this area has increased our sensitivity to environmental protection issues, enabling us to select social projects with the highest potential.

The LOTOS Group’s approach to the above spheres of social activity is marked by consistency and long-term commitment. Such initiatives infuse a new quality into the relations between the LOTOS Group and its social partners. By building social trust in the LOTOS Group, we lay solid foundations for the achievement of our business objectives. In turn, our contribution to social life within the sphere of our influence brings positive developments for the LOTOS Group’s key stakeholders.

Katarzyna Sikorska
– Head of Sponsoring, Public Matters & CSR Office of Grupa LOTOS

  

Road traffic safety

Grupa LOTOS sees its involvement in the enhancement of road traffic safety as a priority. To this purpose, Grupa LOTOS has established the dedicated “Akademia Bezpieczeństwa LOTOS” (“LOTOS Safety Academy”) programme, which comprises a number of initiatives aimed to prevent road traffic accidents involving young children, this being achieved through traffic safety education projects promoting the rules of safe behaviour on the road among children and adults. The events organized by the “LOTOS Safety Academy” in 2011 included another iteration of the “LOTOS - Bezpieczna droga do szkoły” (“LOTOS – Safe Journey to School”) programme and the art contest “Uwolnić odblaski” (“Free reflectors” – intended to promote reflective clothing and accessories).

LOTOS – Safe Journey to School is a social education and accident prevention programme run jointly with the Polish Police and road traffic safety experts, designed to prevent traffic accidents involving young schoolchildren. The programme is addressed to primary-school first graders and is designed to draw their attention to issues related to safe use of roads by both pedestrians and drivers, for instance their parents. Another objective behind the programme is to develop proper behaviour and attitudes while taking part in road traffic. The high road accident rate is a pressing social issue in Poland. Pedestrians, as the least protected participants of road traffic, are a particularly vulnerable group. At the beginning of every school year, the programme offers an opportunity to participate in classes with police officers and road safety instructors to learn about road traffic safety and safe places to play. All participants are presented with road safety reflectors and special road safety educational packages funded by the Company.

The programme is implemented in areas of operation of selected LOTOS Group subsidiaries: in the Province of Gdańsk and in the municipalities lying within the sphere of influence of LOTOS Czechowice and LOTOS Jasło. The programme was first implemented in Jasło, in 1998. In the Gdańsk Province, it has been run since 2001, while in Czechowice since 2004.

In the 2010/2011 school year, Grupa LOTOS distributed a total of 13,000 road safety reflectors and the same number of educational packages. Over the previous five years, the participating pupils received around 61,000 road safety reflectors and 38,000 road safety packages. To date, the programme has reached 61,000 children.

The Free Reflectors contest forms an integral part of the LOTOS Safety Academy programme and is devised for first-grade pupils, particularly those participating in the “LOTOS – Safe Journey to School programme. Its overall aim is to warn children about road traffic risks and to help them develop a habit of wearing reflective accessories, which reduce the likelihood of accidents. Police statistics show that most children become casualties of road accidents during summer holidays. According to the Polish Chief Police Headquarters’ report, in 2010 in the Gdańsk Province alone, children were involved in 354 road accidents. This means that the Gdańsk Province, where Grupa LOTOS has its principal place of business, ranked shamefully among the five Polish provinces with the highest number of such accidents.

Considering the statistics, in 2011 again, Grupa LOTOS and its partners, including the Gdańsk Province Police Headquarters and the Jasło Motor and Road Rescue Club, organized the Free Reflectors at contest. The contest, addressed to schoolchildren of the Gdańsk Province and the Counties of Bielsko-Biała and Jasło, is meant to remind them of the rules of road traffic safety, in particular of the importance of wearing road safety reflectors. This is important all year round – in spring and summer, when road traffic is intensified, and in autumn and winter, in the period of limited visibility.

The contest was run from April to June. Each school which responded to the invitation of the contest organizer selected and submitted up to ten children’s artworks. From among the entries, the best works were selected in the Gdańsk Province, County of Bielsko-Biała and County of Jasło. First-place winners were awarded bicycles with safety enhancing accessories. Additionally, the schools of the winners were awarded mini road-sign kits and bicycles with safety enhancing accessories. Second-place winners received roller blade sets with accessories, while third-place winners – educational game sets.

Equal opportunity initiatives

Initiatives aimed at ensuring equal opportunities and preventing social exclusion, especially among children and youth, have been Grupa LOTOS’ focus for a number of years. Openness to the future is among key social values of the LOTOS brand, thence the special emphasis placed by the Company on projects promoting young people’s personal development. The Company also feels responsible for the future of children and youth living in the immediate vicinity of its production facilities, including in particular the districts of Gdańsk encircling the refinery.

Since 2006, the dedicated social programme Dobry Sąsiad (“Good Neighbour”) has been addressed to this stakeholder group. Its overall objective is to raise environmental awareness and promote pro-environmental behaviour among the youngest. The specific objectives pursued by Grupa LOTOS as part of the programme are to:

  • involve the Company in the life of local communities (i.e. organizing family events, sporting events, etc.);
  • offer support to environmental projects run in the refinery’s immediate vicinity, notably the Sobieszewska Island;
  • offer support to selected local government projects seeking to improve the quality of life of people residing in the districts covered by the programme;
  • develop the local inhabitants’ understanding of Grupa LOTOS’ refinery’s operation and assure them that it has state-of-the-art environmental security controls;
  • raise environmental awareness among children, youth and adult inhabitants of the districts;
  • tackle social inequalities by providing support to non-profit organizations, with a special focus on children;
  • involve the Company in long-standing initiatives targeted at inhabitants of its neighbouring districts, with a particular focus on children (construction of playgrounds and sports fields, and park revitalisation work, etc.).

Grupa LOTOS has adopted a strategic approach to equal opportunity initiatives addressed to talented children at risk of social exclusion. Under the Skrzydła z Grupą LOTOS (“Wings with Grupa LOTOS”) programme, the Company has assisted 70 pupils from low-income families in three regions of Poland. Thus, the Company joined the group of strategic partners of the “Skrzydła” (“Wings”) programme implemented by Caritas Polska, a charity.

“Wings” is a programme of long-term assistance for children – pupils of primary, junior high and high schools who, given the insufficient means of their families, need assistance in the form of school lunch, school kits, as well as co-financing of school trips and educational activities. The programme invites business entities and natural persons to take financial care of a pupil for at least one school semester. Under the Wings” programme, a sponsor can choose the form of assistance and tailor it to the needs of a child and the sponsor’s financial resources.

Grupa LOTOS has extended assistance to the most needy junior high and high school pupils from the regions where LOTOS Group companies conduct their business activities, that is the Gdańsk Province, the Jasło County and the Czechowice-Dziedzice Municipality. The assistance takes the form of the “Skrzydła na przyszłość” (“Wings for the Future”) programme with a view to ensuring equal opportunities for all children to pursue their plans and ambitions. During the inauguration of the second edition of the programme, in September 2011, integrating and educational meetings for the supported pupils were held in Gdańsk and Jasło. In Gdańsk, the pupils participated in the street game “W pogoni za bursztynem” (“The Quest for Amber”). The participants visited the most important historical places and monuments of Gdańsk, thus getting to know better the city’s past. In Jasło, the participants visited the open-air archaeological museum “Karpacka Troja” (“Carpathian Troy”), thus familiarising themselves with the history of the region.

The observations and accounts of tutors watching over the participating pupils reveal that the programme has had a very positive effect on them. A large proportion of the participants have achieved the objectives set for a given year, including improved progress in school and better behaviour, as well as increased involvement in extra-curricular activities. Thanks to the financial assistance, a number of pupils have enrolled in extra-curricular activities to develop their interests and talents, which they would not have been able to afford otherwise. The financial assistance and work with the tutors have raised their self-confidence, self-respect and sense of security in the majority of participating children. The financial standing of the participants’ families has improved, adding to their self-esteem and enhancing their motivation to study and pursue their interests.

The Company is also actively involved in social and sports projects designed to support the development of sports skills among children and youth, to train future generations of sportsmen, who would join local or national teams. Grupa LOTOS participates in such initiatives treating them as proof of its responsibility for the local communities in which it operates. Education through sports is also a way to spend leisure time properly, educate young people in the spirit of healthy competition and fair play, and counteract incipient social pathologies.

Since 2004, Grupa LOTOS together with its partner – the Polish Ski Federation – has run one of the widest-ranging projects in the area of sports education – LOTOS Cup – In Search for the Champion’s Successors, organized under the National Ski Jumping Development Programme.

During the six consecutive seasons, the programme has proved to be a sporting and organizational success. The main objectives of the initiative are to promote, on an unprecedented scale, ski jumping among kids and teenagers and to discover the finest ski-jumping talents. The original objective behind the programme was to launch a system designed to actively support young athletes practising at ski-jumping clubs which run their own youth sections.

In the years 2004–2011, Grupa LOTOS purchased 185 pairs of skis complete with bindings, 161 suits, 100 helmets and 150 ski-jumping boots for the most talented young ski jumpers from 19 clubs all over Poland.

By donating a total of 596 sets of professional sports equipment, the programme made it possible to provide training to the youngest age groups. In this way Grupa LOTOS contributed to the launch and development of the largest CSR project aimed to support talented ski jumpers from Polish clubs. In addition, one-year sports scholarships were awarded to 84 ski jumpers from the 11–12 and 15–16 age groups who finished in the top six places in the general classification of the LOTOS Cup tournament in the 2004–2011 seasons. In each of the 56 LOTOS Cup youth competitions, held between 2005 and 2011 to the World Cup format on the ski jumps in Szczyrk, Wisła, Zagórz and Zakopane, the number of competitors exceeded 150.

In the 2011 season, the National Ski Jumping Development Programme “In Search for the Champion’s Successors” was extended to include Nordic combined. The project is designed to rebuild a strong Polish national team in Nordic combined. 

In the 2011 season, 12 out of 15 ski jumpers appointed to National Team A and national youth team, as well as all Nordic combined skiers of the Polish Ski Federation, were former or current scholarship holders of the “In Search for the Champion’s Successors” Programme.
The “In Search for the Champion’s Successors” Programme has been noticed and appreciated. In 2011, the Programme received an award in the corporate scholarship programme category of a contest organized by the Good Network Foundation and the Polish-American Freedom Foundation.

Another field of the Company’s activity connected with the support of young sportsmen is our cooperation with youth groups practising with the Lechia Gdańsk football club. A total of nearly 160 players are practising at the club, and in 2011 four of the practising groups won regional championships. Apart from professional training, the cooperation included the organization of a series of indoor youth football tournaments Złote Lwy Gdańskie (Gold Lions of Gdańsk). 14 Polish and foreign teams of young footballers born between 2000 and 2001 participated in the most recent tournament.

As part of its work on the Social Committee of Euro 2012 Support set up by the Mayor of Gdańsk, of which the Company’s President is member and Chairman of the Sponsors Board, Grupa LOTOS has sponsored a project involving the construction of artificial turf football pitches to be located within school grounds. The project is being implemented under the “Junior Gdańsk 2012 Programme, whose objective is to build a network of football pitches within the grounds of Gdańsk schools, with the financial support of enterprises active in the Gdańsk Province. Grupa LOTOS has, as the only company, sponsored the construction of two pitches – in 2010 the first project was completed at Primary School No. 61 in Gdańsk, and in September 2011 at Junior High School No. 20 in Gdańsk.

In 2011, the Company started to co-finance the training of girls basketball teams at the Gdynia Basketball Society (GTK). A total of around 300 young basketballers practise there and the sports achievements and prizes it has won, including Poland’s Championship medals in 2010–2011, prove that the club is a model of management in the organizational and sports terms. Grupa LOTOS sponsors the 1st women basketball team LOTOS Gdynia, for which GTK girls form a rookie pool.

Also in the area of motor sports, like in the case of other sports supported by Grupa LOTOS, the Company helps a group of young speedway riders. In 2011, cooperation was continued with the Wybrzeże Gdańsk Speedway Club Association, which trains a new generation of riders with diligence and dedication to making the sport more popular with kids and teenagers. The aim of the Speedway Youth School is to develop young riders to join the first team of the GKS Wybrzeże club, the owner of the LOTOS Wybrzeże Gdańsk team. As in previous years, in 2011, the team of young GKS riders participated in the Team Championship of Poland, where they ranked fourth, while in the Individual Championship of Poland, Damian Kossakowski ranked seventh.

Protection of the Baltic Sea biodiversity

As the Company is located near the Baltic Sea, it pays particular attention to cooperating with partners specialising in areas related specifically to the region’s environmental conditions. Those partners include: the Foundation for the Development of Gdańsk University (FRUG) and the Marine Station of the Gdańsk University’s Institute of Oceanography (IOUG). Together with these institutions, since 2009 Grupa LOTOS has implemented projects aimed at protecting the natural riches of the Baltic Sea. Joint efforts have been mainly focused on saving from extinction the most endangered species of marine fauna, notably the harbour porpoise.

One of the most mysterious mammals of the Baltic Sea, the protected harbour porpoise is in danger of extinction. Harbour porpoises are frequently called the Baltic cousins of dolphins but, unlike dolphins, they shy away from boats, which makes their observation and study difficult. They are the smallest and shortest-lived of whales – the species including also sperm whales, killer whales and dolphins. They are the only whales permanently inhabiting the Baltic Sea, mainly off the coast of Denmark, Germany, the south coast of Sweden, as well as the Gdańsk, Puck and Pomeranian Bays in Poland.

The Company’s activities in the Puck Bay area are part of the project called “Active protection of the porpoise against by-catch”. Grupa LOTOS donated cash to co-fund efforts aimed to protect the harbour porpoise, which was expended to purchase hydroacoustic detectors and pots for fishing. As part of joint efforts to protect the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea, the Company, for another consecutive year, co-organized the Porpoise Day, an event held to educate the public on the behaviour and protection of the species. In 2011, a series of exhibitions devoted to the animal and plant life of the Baltic Sea was held in Gdańsk and Hel. One of them is a permanent exhibition on the premises of the Seal Centre at the Marine Station.

Like in previous years, an awareness campaign designated as “Wildlife in the water under the keel” was run, promoting the protection of areas covered by the NATURA 2000 network and encouraging the public to get involved in the conservation planning process. The campaign was run onboard vessels operated by Żegluga Gdańska, from the end of April to the end of August 2011. As part of the campaign, 40,000 leaflets were handed out and ten education boards were displayed onboard the ships. 

The key measure adopted to assess the project’s impact was turnout, especially in the case of knowledge promotion and educational efforts, designed to raise public awareness and change attitudes towards identified environmental issues. Analyses show that these efforts have met with the interest of both local communities and tourists. The associated events of the International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise attracted nearly 5,000 visitors, while the Marine Station’s stand at the Baltic Science Festival was visited by over 3,000 persons.

In 2011, the events forming part of the education campaign attracted some 18,000 visitors. More than 50,000 copies of information materials and 150 copies of an educational documentary were handed out. The www.morswin.pl site was visited 14,000 times over the year.

The project’s strategic objective is to provide financing for the Hel Marine Station’s ambitious initiative called “Active protection of the porpoise against by-catch”. One of the main reasons behind the mammal’s high mortality rate is the use of gill nets in marine fishery, which are impossible to detect by the porpoise echolocation system. Apart from the harbour porpoise, a number of diving birds as well as seal cubs get killed in the nets. There is therefore an urgent need to modify the fishing techniques, so as to save many animals from unnecessary death. Accordingly, the efforts undertaken so far have primarily resulted in reaching communities and individuals whose decisions influence the exploitation of the Baltic Sea resources and bringing about a change in their attitudes.

Communication efforts are also focused on spreading the knowledge of Baltic Sea animals and plants and methods of their protection. Activities designed to achieve this objective include lectures for schoolchildren held as part of the Błękitna Szkoła (Blue School) project, which in 2011 were attended by 4,000 participants (children and carers), while the Seal Centre in Hel attracted 434,000 visitors.

In 2011, the Company participated in another edition of the Marine Education Programme, implemented by the Gdańsk Foundation at the request of the Mayor of Gdańsk. The programme was initiated by Mateusz Kusznierewicz, the Ambassador for Maritime Affairs of the City of Gdańsk. Under the programme, Grupa LOTOS started a series of classes devoted to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment. The activities, targeted mainly at students of junior high schools from Gdańsk, are aimed to expand their knowledge of the environment, sailing and maritime heritage of Gdańsk in the most interesting manner, ensuring that they actively participate in the classes and thus readily acquire knowledge and practical skills.

Each year, from May to June and throughout September, all first class students of junior high schools from Gdańsk go on educational cruises along the Gdańsk harbour channel and around the Gdańsk Bay, which last several hours at a time. 

As part of the Marine Education Programme, an environmental competition is also held. In 2011, it was run under the slogan “The Baltic Sea under protection” and was addressed to students of junior high schools from the entire Province of Gdańsk. The competition was designed to make the young people more sensitive to the local environment, in particular to issues affecting the Baltic Sea. The theoretical framework for the competition was provided by Grupa LOTOS’ partners: the Foundation for the Development of Gdańsk University (FRUG) and the Marine Station of the Gdańsk University’s Institute of Oceanography (IOUG). The winners were awarded two-week holiday cruises on Marine Education Programme yachts around the Gdańsk Bay and an all-day training at the Marine Station in Hel and its Seal Centre. 

Over the last two years, more than 7,000 schoolchildren have gone on daily cruises around Gdańsk waters. In 2011, participants of the Marine Education Programme covered a total distance of about 8,000 nautical miles within 102 days of cruising. “The Baltic Sea under protection” competition attracted 100 pupils from 40 schools, 15 of whom were awarded. In order to evaluate the programme, teachers were asked to fill in evaluation surveys, while students were tested for knowledge acquired during the cruises. In 2011, 88 teachers took part in the programme evaluation and 807 children filled in the tests, the results of which are monitored. Based on answers given by pupils, the elements which they find most difficult are discussed during the cruises which follow. The average percentage of good answers ranges from 70% to 80%. The idea and implementation of the programme is well-received by the teachers, who particularly value the practical knowledge they and their students acquire under the programme.

Contribution to infrastructure development

In 2011, Grupa LOTOS provided support to a number of projects contributing to infrastructure development and bringing benefits to local communities, particularly in the areas of health care and health promotion, science, education, environmental protection and wildlife conservation, safety, culture and sports. Funds were invested in medical equipment for public health-care institutions, equipment necessary to implement environmental projects, as well as equipment for schools and centres established to promote sports and physical education. The investments were designed for the public good.
The data below illustrate the scale of the Company’s commitment.

No.. Institution City/town Purpose of grant
1. Municipality of Elbląg Elbląg Co-financing of the purchase of a personnel car for the City Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Elbląg
2. Municipality of Ciechocinek Ciechocinek Renewal of the proscenium of the historical outdoor concert stage in the health resort park
3. Distinguished Seamen Academic High School No. 1 Gdynia Equipping the chemistry lab
4. Public Junior High School in Przejazdowo Wiślina Co-financing of new school fencing as part of the Dobry Sąsiad (Good Neighbour) programme
5. Józef Wybicki Primary School No. 61 in Gdańsk Gdańsk Equipping the gymnasium as part of the Dobry Sąsiad (Good Neighbour) programme
6. Food and Chemical Industry School Complex Gdańsk Equipping the chemistry lab
7. University Clinical Centre Gdańsk Purchase of medical equipment for the Traumatology Centre
8. Specialist Hospital in Jasło Jasło Purchase of medical equipment
9. Ambulance Station Gdańsk Purchase of medical equipment
10. Ornithological Station at the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) Gdańsk Purchase of educational equipment
11. Foundation for the Development of Gdańsk University Gdańsk Equipping the ambulance unit
12. Commune of Stężyca Stężyca Purchase of sports equipment
13. Commune sports club Wieżyca 2011 Stężyca Purchase of sports equipment