On Tuesday 8th August, 18 employees from ABN AMRO Clearing joined Greater Sydney Landcare’s Creating Canopies team for a corporate volunteering day at Sir Joseph Banks Park in Botany.
A Helping Hand for Sir Joseph Banks Park
Bush regeneration and tree planting were on the agenda. Natural Resource Manager Esteban Zepeda led the volunteers through the day, starting with a health and safety demo and walkthrough of the bush care kits.
Before tree planting could take place, weeds needed to be removed. ABN AMRO Clearing employees loved trying out the fan favourite tree popper tools—pulling small tree and shrub weeds out by the entire root— and had a great time.
Afterwards, the volunteers jumped in to clearing a large patch of invasive Lantana, removing a dense patch of the woody shrub alongside other invasive species such as Green Cestrum and African Love Grass.
All this work allowed for enough room to be made for the planting of 115 native trees and shrubs, which will grow up to 3 metres and above. The species installed by ABN AMRO Clearing will provide essential habitat for smaller birds and animals in the park, which take shelter in the dense thickets that form.
A Fantastic Day Out of the Office
When asked what they thought of the day, ABN AMRO Clearing employees said:
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- [It was a] “Fulfilling, rewarding and unique experience.”
- “I really enjoyed the experience and getting to understand how regeneration works through experts in this area.”
- “Love the concept being able to contribute in a small way to sustainability. An awesome day for team building giving something little back to the local community.”
- “A different way of spending my day rather than being in the office.”
Their favourite parts of the event were:
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- “Learned to use and tried all different tools. Planted shrubs that will stay in the same place forever. Hopefully I can come back and find where they are in 10 or 20 years time when they grow up.
- “Learning how to do planting.”
- “Being outdoors away from your computer and desk helped to clear the head.”
- “Working outside with my colleagues.”
AMN AMRO Clearing employees learned:
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- “Not everything we chopped down [e.g. weeds] went to green waste. Most of it was repurposed for housing for the local bush critters.”
- “We have some beautiful nature in Australia and we need to nurture it to keep it beautiful. Doing this as a corporate team event was a great way to contribute and feel involved as a company.”
Thank you ABN AMRO Clearing – Greater Sydney Landcare was thrilled to host your corporate volunteering day and are glad you had a great time. We can’t wait to do it again.
Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare
Corporate volunteering provides an opportunity for businesses and their employees to get involved in their local community and contribute to environmental conservation efforts, which can strengthen community ties and promote social responsibility. Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare.
About Creating Canopies
Landcare NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
