CIBC Caribbean helps reduce Trinidad and Tobago's carbon footprint

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) Caribbean has pledged its support to reducing the country's carbon footprint and increasing food security.

The bank, through its charitable arm – CIBC Caribbean’s ComTrust Foundation – made a donation to the Sure Foundation to assist with this goal on April 9.

In a press release, the managing director of CIBC Caribbean's Trinidad Operating Company, Anthony Seeraj, commended the Sure Foundation for its contributions to local food production.

“While the bank encourages and supports organisations, corporate and non-profit, to help the environment through a variety of projects, there is one aspect of the Sure Foundation that is very interesting. By the planting of fruit trees and other food-bearing plants, the Sure Foundation is helping to reduce the annual food import bill.”

The Sure Foundation, the release said, was set up in 2012 in response to the social and environmental challenges faced by communities in the southwest peninsula of Trinidad. To date, it has shared 4.2 million seedlings and planted 15,000 fruit trees. The group aims to plant 100,000 trees.

Prof Roger Hosein, economist and member of the Sure Foundation, expressed his thanks to CIBC.

He said, “In this trying environment, we are thankful to push anti-global warming with support from CIBC Caribbean.”

The CIBC Foundation supports projects in the 12 countries where the bank operates by donating more than US$1 million annually.