MANILA, Philippines - A series of environmental, social, and educational initiatives marks the second anniversary of TREES, the corporate sustainability program by leading international property developer Thunderbird Resorts Philippines.
Short for Thunderbird Resorts Efforts on Environmental Sustainability, the TREES program was launched in the aftermath of Typhoons Ketsana ("Ondoy") and Parma ("Pepeng") in 2009, and has since expanded to include all of the company's efforts on business sustainability, environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and people development.
"We launched TREES two years ago to demonstrate our commitment to the environment and the local communities where our company operates," says Fabio Moretti, country manager, Thunderbird Resorts Philippines. "Today, we are renewing that commitment with activities that will cement the program as part of our long-term strategic plan."
To celebrate TREES' second anniversary, the company is releasing its first-ever corporate sustainability report, which provides an executive summary of the program and its highlights in the last two years. These include a total investment of over P10.2 million in a series of medical missions held in La Union and Rizal, plus a donation of more than P1 million in yearly surgical missions conducted in partnership with the Philippine American Group of Educators and Surgeons (PAGES). Donations worth P1.08 million, meanwhile, were made to support the social development programs of Caritas Manila.
The company also organized events benefiting various members of the local community: the charity marathon run, "Ondoy No More," raised disaster recovery and rehabilitation funds for typhoon victims in Rizal; the TREES Adopt-a-School project, backed by an investment of over P2.3 million, improved the learning environments of selected public schools in Rizal and La Union; while the TREES On-the-Spot Essay Writing Contest and Go Green Photo Contest both raised public awareness on alternative and more sustainable ways of living.
With TREES, Thunderbird Resorts Philippines also expanded its network of partners. The company worked with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Philippine Navy, and local government units in Rizal and La Union in a series of coastal cleanups, while its own wildlife conservation campaign, "Discover Nature," was the result of Thunderbird Resorts' partnership with DENR's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and the Wild Birds Club of the Philippines.