Think globally, act locally

This month saw the opening of the Sir Arturo Mercieca garden at the University of Malta. The garden, managed by Nature Trust (Malta) is being planted with trees purchased by HSBC Bank Malta plc. These trees, which will number well over 1,000, were purchased by HSBC following the commitment it made at the start of the academic year to plant a tree for every post-secondary student who opened a new HSBC Student Account,

In the early 1990s, the international youth activism movement spurred a phrase which later was to gain cult status. It became the rallying cry for every person who believed he or she could make a difference.

The four words, "Think globally, act locally", have held a very special and powerful meaning for an entire generation of young people, and as a product of that generation myself, I can only express a sense of deep satisfaction when today I see the corporate social responsibilities of a giant in the world of finance, translated into local, practical, policies for the betterment of the community.

When looking at these saplings in the soil, a sense of growth cannot but come to mind, and in fact there is no more proper concept to bring today's event. This garden has been named after Sir Arturo Mercieca, the founder of the Consiglio Permanente Universitario, or what is better known to you today as KSU.

Born in Victoria, Gozo, and later going on to be Chief Justice, what made this man truly great is the fact that he founded the organisation in 1901, making KSU practically the oldest student union in Europe. Since our beginning thanks to the vision of this pioneer of the student movement, KSU has grown from strength to strength, and have not only watched over and commented on, but also contributed to our alma mater.

Today, thanks to HSBC's vision and our students' clarity of mind to answer the challenge courageously put to them by the bank, we are proud to be able to help contribute to the growth of the university through the opening of this garden. It is doubtful whether the scheme run by HSBC would have been successful ten years ago, the fact that their confidence in students has paid off is proof of the growth of environmental awareness in their country over the past decade.

It is also proof that at least one company believes that environmental awareness extends beyond minimising the impacts of its newest building, but actually consists of giving something back to the environment. When fully grown, this garden will compensate for the pollution caused by 250 motor vehicles.

Finally, I would like to extend the analogy of growth to HSBC itself. While I could talk about the growth of its share-price or of its role in the national economy, I would prefer to speak about its growth in the community.

Since it came to Malta, HSBC has supported scores of community projects, apart from the support it has continually offered KSU throughout the years, investing literally hundreds of thousands in people, students and their potential.

Thus, I think it is only appropriate today to reinvigorate an old expression: "Think globally, act locally".