Calamatta Cuschieri kicked off its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) calendar of events for this year when the team of its subsidiary CC Fund Services attended a workshop in partnership with the environment rejuvenation movement Saġġar.
Held at the NGO’s nursery in Wardija, the hands-on team-building event was aimed at educating CC Fund Services employees about the importance of rehabilitating our environment and local native trees which have seen a steady decline over the past 15 years. They also had the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty by collecting and planting indigenous seeds and saplings.
CSR head Gabie Calamatta said Calamatta Cuschieri is passionate about the environment.
“This event was the first initiative for 2020, our teams appreciate the hard work NGOs like Saġġar put in to ensure native trees survive for future generations and we want to do our part,” she added.
Saġġar is a non-profit organisation that has pledged to rejuvenate the Maltese environment by planting one million native trees over the course of a decade. The ambitious afforestation project will rehabilitate public and private lands and create ecological nature reserves that will also serve as natural seed banks and green spaces for the public to enjoy.
As part of the workshop, the CC Fund Services team had a go at separating seeds from plants, mixing soil with compost and preparing cuttings for planting, as well as planting these in pots. They also picked up a few tips and tricks about vermiculture – the cultivation of earthworms for converting organic waste into fertiliser and setting up their own compost heap.
“The rehabilitation of the Maltese islands is possible only if we work together to make it happen,” Claude Ebejer, founding member of ACT, said. “Saġġar was happy to host the CC Fund Services team who with great energy helped in preparing and sowing seeds and cuttings.”
Meanwhile, echoing the satisfaction by all participants in offering a helping hand to a good cause, Stephen Gauci Baluci, head of CC Fund Services, said: “Helping out at Saġġar was a pleasant and gratifying experience. Apart from being a very interesting subject, I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing that I have contributed to reforesting our island with Maltese indigenous trees.”
As part of its CSR efforts, Calamatta Cuschieri has over the years organised a series of events and initiatives like the Walk for Cancer, the Blood Donation Drive and the Investing in Nature campaign. It has also set up the CC Foundation which aims to raise awareness on social, cultural, health and environment-related issues, while it has supported and collaborated with organisations like ALS Malta.