Friday 28 August 2020

Newcastle-Born Greater Bank Marks 75th Anniversary, Planting 75 Thousand Trees Across Hunter and State

BY ISABEL EVERETT
Newcastle-born, Greater Bank is marking its 75-year anniversary by planting 75,000 trees across regional NSW over the next 12 months.
Greater Bank CEO, Scott Morgan, says  45,000 trees and plants will be planted at key locations around Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Hunter and Port Stephens.
These include; 
·         Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary
·         Wallsend Wetlands
·         Cockle Creek, Lake Macquarie
·         King Edward Park, Newcastle
·         Bull and Tourle Street Reserve, Mayfield West
·         Heaton Park and Maclure Reserve, Jesmond
·         Wallsend Park and Ironbark Creek, Wallsend
·         North Creek, Warners Bay
·         Williams Valley, Dungog
·         Luskintyre
The remaining will be planted across other regions within Greater Bank’s area of operation, including Central Coast, Illawarra, Dubbo, Tamworth and Tweed Heads.
“This project has been many months in the making, which has included working closely with local councils and other environmental groups to select the most appropriate sites for the planting. These groups have also provided valuable direction as to the types and species of plants to ensure they complement and support the local habitats,” Mr Morgan said.
“Once completed the project will have a significant impact on the local environments. Beyond the flora regeneration of the respective sites, collectively, the 75,000 trees will have the capacity to absorb 1,650,000kgs of carbon dioxide each year. That offsets 97 people per year and emissions from 600 cars.
Joining the launch is 13-year-old, Gigi Hubber, who features in Greater Bank’s recently launched 75th anniversary campaign. The Charlestown-based high school student is extremely passionate about the environment, and reinforced why projects like this are so important, particularly to our younger generations.
“From a young age my parents showed me documentaries and books about the environment and as I’ve got older, I’ve realised that we need to do more to protect it,” Gigi said.
“We need to inform people, older and younger generations, about the impacts we are having every day and how we need to change our ways before it’s too late.
“It makes me feel really happy seeing companies not just focusing on money, but actually giving back to the community and focusing on making the world a better place.”
Image Credit: Mashable