There’s putting down roots in the community…and then there’s putting down roots in the community.
The Greater Bank is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and, to mark the auspicious occasion, is rolling up the sleeves and picking up the spade.
CEO Scott Morgan announced on Friday that the Newcastle-born bank would be marking the milestone by planting 75,000 trees across regional New South Wales over the next 12 months.
45,000 of those trees will be planted around Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and Port Stephens, while the remainder will find homes in other areas in which the bank operates including the Central Coast, Illawarra, Dubbo, Tamworth, and Tweed Heads.
“It was important for us that in celebrating the milestone we contribute to a cause that is important to our customers,” Mr Morgan said.
“The need to protect and nurture the environment was a consistent message delivered by customers across our areas of operation, which is why we’ve committed to planting 75,000 trees throughout regional NSW.”
The ambitious planting drive will kick off in September and will be rolled out in the following locaetions:
- Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary
- Wallsend Wetlands
- Cockle Creek
- KIng Edward Park
- Bull and Tourle Street Reserve, Mayfield West
- Heaston Park and Maclure Reserve, Jesmond
- Wallsend Park and Ironbark Creek
- North Creek, Warners Bay
- Williams Valley, Dungog
- Luskintyre
A project of this scope is expected to have a significant impact on the local environment, with the 75,000 trees having the capacity to absorb 1,650,000kgs of carbon dioxide each year, which offsets 97 people per year and emissions from 600 cars.
13-year-old Gigi Hubber, who features in the bank’s recently launched 75th-anniversary campaign, attended the launch of the tree project on Friday and said she was heartened to see a company giving back to the community in such a positive way.
“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.”
