The extent of vegetation cover and natural habitats on the Maltese Islands has been drastically reduced by centuries of human habitation.

Large areas of woodland have been cleared to make way for agriculture and other forms of land development in a country where such resources are very limited.

Despite this rather bleak scenario, in 2006 over 16,000 trees were planted by the 34U campaign, and an additional 800 during the first two months of this year.

A completely innovative concept for Malta, the nationwide tree planting campaign 34U, managed by the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment, has the specific aim of giving the public the opportunity to contribute in a direct way to Malta’s re-afforestation, making the island a greener place to live in.

HCEF’s involvement in 34U

Coordinating this major drive to make Malta greener and healthier is HSBC employee Glenn Bugeja, who was seconded to the Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment (MRAE) to coordinate the 34U afforestation programme.

HSBC has extended Mr Bugeja’s secondment for another year.

This apart from the commitment of the HSBC Cares for the Environment Fund (HCEF) to contribute towards the planting of over 19,000 trees for the 34U campaign over three years.

Glenn Bugeja’s work involves strategic planning, managing the day-to-day implementation of projects and monitoring the progress of the campaign.

“When I first came to this office, the only thing that existed was the concept for the campaign.

“My starting point was the logo which had already been designed,” he said.

Since then, Glenn has put his passion and enthusiasm for the environment into action.

He has created new initiatives within the programme, organised events, coordinated contributions from important companies, networked, promoted and marketed the campaign, and created customer service.

Overall, he has been crucial to the implementation and success of the campaign.

“When HSBC reached an agreement with the ministry to second an employee, I realised that this was an excellent opportunity to further show how much HSBC cares for the environment through tangible ways.

This experience is providing me with new skills that will definitely prove useful when I return to HSBC once this secondment is over,” said Glenn Bugeja.

HCEF is following HSBC’s global emphasis on trying to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Glenn’s secondment with the ministry is only one of the many initiatives undertaken by HCEF to show its commitment towards the campaign.

The fund is one of the major supporters of the 34U campaign committing over Lm70,000 to date.

In 2005, approximately 2,500 trees were planted at Salina Park and in 2006, another 5,000 trees were planted at Xrobb l-Ghagin and another 1,200 on campus at University.

This year, the fund has already contributed towards the planting of more trees at Salina Park and the replacement of trees along the St Julian’s and Sliema seafront and the Mellieha site that has recently been vandalised.

Another 5,000 trees will be planted at the Xrobb l-Ghagin site later on this year.

Essentially this means that the HCEF has already contributed approximately Lm30,000 just for this year!

A success story

The campaign has been a success story.

This is because people have realised that they have to contribute towards the well-being of Malta’s environment in order to be able to offer future generations a sustainable environment.

People have fully embraced the concept, even accepting the fact that they have to fork out some of the money needed for this.

Some of the major sponsors of 34U include Bank of Valletta, Malta International Airport, go mobile, Maltacom, ST Microelectronics, Club Italia, KPMG, In Lingua School and St James Hospital.

The selected afforestation sites for the creation of woodland are the Ta’ Qali National Park, Mellieha, Salina – Kennedy Grove, and Xrobb l-Ghagin.

The trees which are indigenous are one to one-and-a-half metres high and include aleppo pines, holm oak, carob, olive and the gharghar tree – our national tree.

Trees are identified by a wooden name-tag so that tree “owners” are able to identify them.

There are a number of different schemes that have been ideated through which individuals can commemorate events, “because we have realised that any event is a good excuse to plant a tree,” said Glenn.

Educating for the future

34U’s other aim is that of educating young people and adults alike to increase awareness on the importance of sustainable environmental conditions for a better quality of life.

People are urged to participate personally in their own tree-planting activity, so that they get a brief-yet-important contact with nature, which is more than most people get in the hectic and urban lifestyle we are leading today.

As part of the campaign’s educational aims, field tours are also organised on a regular basis for schools at the Ta’ Qali National Park, where students visit the nursery, plant trees, participate in educational treasure hunts and are taught to identify different kinds of trees and shrubs.

A greener future

Glenn is looking forward to the future with confidence.

Targets for the number of trees to be planted get higher each year, but he is confident that with the strong commitment of HSBC and other sponsoring companies, as well as the contributions of non-governmental organisations, will be met.

“Since 34U is a self-sustained campaign, we have budget limitations.

“For this reason I urge all institutions, companies, unions and voluntary organisations to support this campaign, so that the ambitious project we have embarked upon will benefit as many people as possible,” said Glenn Bugeja.

“HSBC is making a significant contribution to Malta’s environment.

“The 34U campaign would not have kickstarted in such a manner were it not for HCEF’s hefty sponsorship.

“It really is a commitment that should be emulated by other enterprises. I am very grateful to HSBC for the chance I have been given to enrich my personal experiences and at the same time directly contribute to making Malta a better place to live in,” he concluded.