CIMA partners Rotary to Grow One Million Trees
CIMA Sri Lanka officially announced the organisation's participation in Rotary Lanka's flagship initiative, One Million Tree Stories Project on Tuesday. One million trees will be planted through this project which speaks of helping Sri Lanka grow back its forests to support future generations. CIMA will partner Rotary Sri Lanka to initially support planting 5,000 trees with the support of students and members, and will endeavour to plant a further 20,000 with the support of corporate and training partners. The trees will be planted in a specific geographic area with the partnership and guidance of the Ministry of Irrigation and Agrarian services and the Department of Forestry. The areas selected are the banks of the six key reservoirs in the Kurunegala district which is a protected area. Each tree will be geo tagged so that an individual sponsor can monitor the growth of his or her tree using any online map.
CIMA Global President, Keith Luck FCMA, CGMA who is visiting Sri Lanka at present, signed the agreement on behalf of CIMA.Rotary Sri Lanka, in partnership with Sri Lanka Tourism and the Hatton National Bank, began this initiative to address the deforesta- tion of Sri Lanka; which is one of the most serious environmental issues affecting the island. According to a UN country report, Sri Lanka's forest coverage has reduced drastically from 53% in 1990 to 29% in 2012.
Bradley Emerson, CIMA Regional Director MESANA commented, "CSR and commit- ment to environment protection has been on the corporate agenda for decades. It is time we move these statements away from Annual Reports to action and demonstrate we are truly committed to greenery and reducing Carbon Dioxide emissions. This initiative will provide an opportunity for our students and members to really plant a tree and consciously contribute to ensure a greener Sri Lanka for generations to come."
Ms. Gowri Rajan, District Governor of Rotary District 3220 commenting on the partnership said, "We are delighted that CIMA has come on board with us to support our initiative and we are sure this will be a catalyst for other organizations to also pledge their support."
More information about the project, including ways of getting involved, is available on the website www.rotarytree.com