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.”
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| Image Credit: Mashable |
