Greater Bank’s Central Coast-based tree planting project wraps up today with the last of the 10,000 trees earmarked for the region going into the ground in Wyong.
Greater Bank announced last August that it was planting 75,000 trees in the areas it calls home across regional NSW to mark 75 years of growing greater together, including 10,000 in the Central Coast region; an area in which Greater Bank has been operating since 1968.
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Over the past month, volunteer community groups and Greater Bank employees have worked with the Central Coast Council to undertake the planting of more than 7,000 trees across 23 sites from Gwandalan to Umina.
Porter’s Creek, located north-west of the Wyong urban area and adjacent to the M1 Freeway, is the site of the region’s final planting project where Central Coast Council representatives, Greater Bank employees and also participants in Youth of the Streets’ Hunter Valley Outreach program will come together to plant the first of the 3000 trees, plants and grasses provided for the site.
As the largest freshwater wetland in the Central Coast region, Porter’s Creeks is valuable for drinking water, flood mitigation, biodiversity and health of the Tuggerah Lakes. The wetlands are comprised of a mixture of reed lands, sedge lands and rushlands in areas of more permanent water inundation.
The trees, shrubs and grasses planted across the Coast’s allocated sites will assist in restoring and maintaining important ecosystems across the region and will deliver significant benefits to the Central Coast community for many years to come.
Greater Bank Regional Manager, Josh Swetnam, said the tree planting projects are symbolic of the role Greater Bank has played in growing together with its communities over the past 75 years.
“As we reach our 75th year of operation, we're proudly celebrating the role we have played in helping the communities we call home grow greater,” Mr Swetnam said.
“It’s important for us, that in celebrating the milestone, we contribute to a cause that is important to our customers. The need to protect and nurture the environment was a consistent message delivered by our customers, which is why we’ve committed to planting 75,000 trees throughout regional NSW.
Josh Swetnam, Greater Bank Regional Manager
“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.
“This planting in Wyong has also provided a great opportunity to involve participants in Greater Charitable Foundation partner’s Youth of the Streets program. Their participation allowed them to positively connect with the community, build relationships and develop important life skills,” Mr Swetnam said.
To date, more than 150 Greater Bank employees and community volunteers have assisted in planting 70,000 trees across the Hunter, Central Coast, Illawarra, and New England regions.
Once completed, the project will have a significant impact on local environments. Beyond the flora regeneration of the respective sites across regional NSW, 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.