More than 45,000 trees will be planted across the Hunter as part of a growing legacy.
Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, Wallsend Wetlands, Cockle Creek, King Edward Park, Bull and Tourle Street Reserve, Heaton Park, Maclure Reserve, Wallsend Park, Ironbark Creek and North Creek are all set to welcome the new plants.
The trees are part of a campaign to mark the Greater Bank’s 75th anniversary, with a further 30,000 trees set to be planted in other regions.
Joining the campaign is 13-year-old Gigi Hubber.
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,” she 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.”
Greater Bank Chief Executive Scott Morgan said the tree plantings would be symbolic of the role the organisation had played in the community over the years.
“It was important for us that, in celebrating the milestone, we contribute to a cause that is important to our customers,” he 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 trees will not only provide these communities with an ongoing legacy to mark this milestone but, as they grow, they will provide an enduring symbol of our commitment to social responsibility and sustained support of local communities.”
He added the project had been many months in the making.
“Once completed, the project will have a significant impact on the local environments,” he said.
“Beyond the flora regeneration of the respective sites, collectively, the 75,000 trees will have the capacity to absorb 1.650 million kilograms of carbon dioxide each year.
“That offsets 97 people per year and emissions from 600 cars.”
