CAL, stakeholders plant 1,500 fruit trees in Glamorgan

With climate change wreaking havoc around the world, Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) together with Glamorgan residents and other stakeholders participated in a tree-planting exercise organised by Tobago's Hike and Plant Committee last Saturday.

The initiative with, the aim of ultimately combating climate change, restoring forestation, maintaining biodiversity and preventing soil erosion, saw 1,500 local fruit trees have being planted at Richmond Bay, Glamorgan, Tobago.

Several CAL employees and members of The Tobago Reforestation Watershed and Rehabilitation Programme (TRWRP), SEWA International TT (SEWATT), the Green Leaf Youth Organisation and the Eco-Titans Community among others participated in the venture.

On Wednesday, a statement from CAL said the reforestation initiative, aptly themed Hike and Plant, focused on educating participants on environmental issues while fostering a sense of responsibility in local residents who were encouraged to act to help conserve the environment.

Head of Corporate Communications and Co-Chair of the airline’s Sustainability Committee Dionne Ligoure was full of praise for the employees who participated in the activity.

“I sincerely thank and commend the CAL team for taking time to join this tree-planting activity in Tobago.

"As the leading carrier in the region, we remain open to partnering with NGOs like the Hike and Plant Committee and to sharing in the common goal of looking after the environment for the benefit of future generations."

Ligoure said CAL understood the environmental, social and corporate governance, which is why the company launched its sustainability programme in June.

"I hasten to add that as an airline, we continue to make progress in reducing Co2 emissions thanks to the introduction of the more advanced and fuel-efficient 737-8 jet into our fleet, which has been a game changer for us.”

President of SEWATT Revan Teelucksingh also applauded CAL's efforts.

“We are very pleased that several employees from CAL volunteered to be part of our first reforestation exercise in Tobago. So far, for this year 2023, The Hike and Plant Committee has successfully planted 6,000 trees across Trinidad and now with your help, we were able to plant an additional 1,500 seedlings at Richmond Bay, Glamorgan.”

He said SEWATT, a not-for-profit volunteer group, intend to continue the tree-planting project which he said was crucial to restoring the ecological balance in TT and combating climate change.

“It is also our intention to expand this programme across the Caribbean region in the near future.”