In his introduction, HSBC Chief Executive Shaun Wallis said that environment concerns are fast becoming top priority in all the world as “our advanced societies continue to consume natural resources at an enormous rate”.
He said HSBC was sponsoring an initiative as a result of which 500 employees have the opportunity to participate in environmental programmes all over the world. To date, 28 Maltese staff have gone as far as Barbados and 10 more are to go abroad soon, Mr Wallis confirmed.
Mr Wallis said the new fund would initially include a contribution of Lm30,000. Although there would be bank officials on the board in the early stages of this initiative, HSBC plans for prominent members of the local community to eventually join the board and administer the fund.
Minister George Pullicino thanked HSBC for this initiative. Other private firms as well as companies should emulate HSBC’s example and move in the direction of environmental conservation, he added.
He said the government was committed to an ongoing afforestation project and confirmed that the initial batch of 2,000 trees, from a total of 8,000 given to Malta by the Italian government, will be arriving early next month. He also pointed out that HSBC were involved in redesigning the cartoon character that spearheads the ministry’s environmental campaign (Xummiemu).
Minister Pullicino said the government cannot continue going it alone and the private sector must do its bit to ensure a better environment for all.
A top official from ST Microelectronics would be participating in a tree planting operation on Friday, he said. This company had already committed itself to donating a further 1,000 trees to the island. An intense public campaign was also planned to make everyone aware of the afforestation project, the minister confirmed.
In his conclusion, Minister Pullicino said the new HSBC Environment Fund was a clear example of “thinking globally, acting locally”.
He expressed the hope that one of the very first projects to benefit from this fund would be the afforestation project in Mellieha, which will eventually see the planting of 50,000 trees.
The fund was then initiated by the minister’s and Mr Wallis’ signatures.