Gurgaon/Gurugram: As part of its commitment to reduce carbon emission, PNB MetLife, one of India’s leading private life insurance companies, has launched Glow Green, an initiative that aims to plant and nurture 40,000 trees in the next three years in eco-sensitive areas across 4 locations in India. This is expected to prevent approximately 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere and produce about 9,000 tons of oxygen over the next three years. Glow Green,’ is an integral part of the insurer’s commitment to creating sustainable community-led change.
The plantation drive was launched by Ashish Kumar Srivastava, MD & CEO, PNB MetLife along with Shri Sunil Soni, Chief General Manager, Punjab National Bank, who planted the first batch of saplings in Gurgaon, Delhi NCR. The event also saw huge participation from the employees of PNB MetLife. The initiative, driven in association with an environmental conservation NGO, Sankalp Taru, aims to create a total of 24 acres of green cover across areas in the Aravalli mountain range in Gurgaon, HadoSiddapura Lake in Eastern Bengaluru, and a Mass Community Model in Pune and Uttarakhand.
This initiative will see 12,000 trees being planted in Uttarakhand, 1,000 trees in Gurgaon, Aravalli and 500 trees each in Bangalore and Pune every year for the next three years. These models are backed by the motive to increase the carbon sequestration and storage of atmospheric carbon, thereby directly benefiting these regions. Besides re-greening these regions, the initiative will also improve the livelihood and income of the farmers by planting fruit-bearing trees.
In addition to the plantations above, Glow Green will develop a community plantation in the Tehri, Garwal district of Uttarakhand. The region was chosen as the surrounding Himalayan region has been plagued by natural disasters, causing destruction and devastation to the local environment and inhabitants. Uttarakhand has seen a severe increase in the number of landslides in the last five years. In the same period, deaths owing to landslides have more than doubled. The plantation of trees is therefore essential to facilitate the natural growth of the forest and reduce further land erosion.
Nipun Kaushal, Chief Marketing Officer, PNB MetLife, said, “Through Glow Green, we aim to make a meaningful contribution towards rejuvenatingeco-sensitive regions and the people that depend on them for their health and livelihood. Divided into three main phases -‘Build’, ‘Grow’ and ‘Transfer’- the initiative will see PNB MetLife plant and maintain these saplings for the next 3 years until they grow into a healthy and green forest. They will then be transferred back to the community, providing them with a future source of income”.
Ashish Kumar Srivastava, MD & CEO, PNB MetLife, said, “The ambit of protection today stretches to include the impact of climate change and environmental deterioration, and hence it is imperative to take proactive steps to address the needs of our people, customers and communities in order to build a more confident future. We believe Glow Green will lead to positive transformations in the society and we remain committed to contributing towards overcoming challenges in the areas of the environment and safety”.
Besides Glow Green, Damini is another CSR initiative launched by PNB MetLife that aims to empower girls and women in semi-urban and rural India. The Damini initiative is a unique support system that stands by the girl child in all stages of her journey to womanhood, providing the right impetus to education, menstrual hygiene and financial empowerment. Taking the agenda of holistic sustainability one step forward, the ‘Glow Green’ project will help PNB MetLife build a more climate-conscious and sustainability-focused organisation. The project will also contribute to India’s environmental goal of having a third of its total land area under forest and tree cover by 2030.
For other CSR initiatives of PMLI, visit https://www.pnbmetlife.com/about-us/csr.html
(India CSR)
