STAFF of NSW Ports competed in Conservation Volunteer Australia’s (CVA) annual tree-planting challenge to mark World Environment Day for 2022.
The NSW Ports team planted hundreds of trees at Landing Lights Wetlands on the Cooks River in Sydney last week.
While CVA is yet to complete the final tree planting count for 2022, last year’s efforts that saw 6465 native flora species planted.
NSW Ports communications manager Brooke Eggleton said the business was proud to take part in the tree planting challenge once more, and has been a key sponsor of CVA’s Revive our Wetlands program since 2018, which supports environmental conservation and community engagement activities at Sir Joseph Banks Park.
“This popular local park is located on the Botany foreshore and is only minutes from the international trade gateway of Port Botany,” Ms Eggleton said.
“With strong support from Bayside Council, the fantastic wetlands program has focussed on the remediation and restoration of habitat in the parklands, including the endangered Eastern Banksia Scrub, that provides a rare urban habitat for many flora and fauna species.
“More recently, NSW Ports’ sponsorship has expanded to include support for CVA’s Sea to Source project, which engages volunteers across the community to help remove litter from the ocean and other waterways, and records data on waste collected.
“This is an exciting initiative as the collated data is then sent to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) so waste can be traced back to its source, thereby stemming the flow of rubbish in future,” she said.
Ms Eggleton said NSW Ports is committed to operating in a responsible and sustainable way to minimise adverse impacts on our environment.
“Shipping is by far the most efficient and environmentally sound way to transport goods around the world. About 80% of world trade is done through shipping, which accounts for only 2% of the world’s carbon emissions,” she said.
