HSBC staff preach eco best practice

HSBC staff are giving hands-on tips on the best environmental practices for a sustainable lifestyle during presentations conducted in schools, including summer clubs, associations involved in community work, and local councils. The staff themselves were recently trained on ways to improve fuel efficiency, best practices to reduce water consumption, proper disposal of waste through reduction, reuse and recycling, and alternative energy, during a two-week field trip in Oxford, UK.

The initiative is part of HSBC's Global Climate Partnership Programme, a USD100 million initiative spread over five years which involves HSBC personnel pledging time and resources to get involved and do their own bit against the urgent threat of climate change.

One such presentation about the causes of global warming and its impact on earth was recently conducted at HSBC's call centre in Swatar to children aged between seven and 12.

"Children are the best ambassadors of the environment; their love of nature and care for its creatures prompt them to go to great lengths to ensure harm is avoided, making them the best guardians of our planet for the future," said Ray Cassar, an HSBC staff member participating in the programme.

"Children absorb what is good and bad and are usually the ones to point out behaviour which is unfavourable to the environment in the family, at school and in the community."