After creating and publishing our Impact report in November 2021, we have been actively looking for ways to become a more sustainable company and further reduce our carbon footprint. Having always been a company that takes pride in our environmental initiatives and awareness, we want to become even more involved in the social and ecological health of our community. That is why we are excited to announce that we have become official sponsors of Manchester City of Trees as part of their 100 Trees Club.
City of Trees is a Greater Manchester based scheme delivering a citywide green recovery, putting nature-based solutions into action to tackle climate change. Home to roughly 3 million people, Greater Manchester has faced depleting woodland populations that have been increasingly difficult to revive in such a sprawling urban city. However, City of Trees have made monumental progress in planting over half a million trees since its conception and has the ambitious aim of planting a tree for every citizen within just 5 years. Launched in 2015, it is the brainchild of The Oglesby Trust and Community Forest Trust (CFT) and its action will contribute towards Manchester’s aim for carbon neutrality by 2038. They hope that their commitment will inspire a passion for trees, wildlife and the environment – a passion that already runs deep at SG!
Why City of Trees?
Here at SG, our enthusiasm for the built environment does not lessen our interest in the natural environment – but rather enhances and enriches it. We know that construction has a big part to play in the release of carbon emissions, so overhauling the industry to make it a greener and more environmentally conscious sector must involve restoring woodlands and connecting our urban communities with nature. Planting trees has numerous benefits for the environment. Among them are the increased biodiversity in the area, a reduced risk of flooding, stabilisation of the urban heat island effect and the filtering out of harmful pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions.
Through our success in business, we are able to make a commitment to help our local community. The City of Trees’ ‘City Re-Leaf’ programme aims to ‘green up grey streets’, boosting citizens’ physical and mental health, allowing children to grow up in a healthier, performance-enhancing environment and improving the local economy.
Of the project, Peter Stringer, City of Trees’ GI Planning & Technical Manager, says: “The benefits of trees are well documented; they create healthier, happier communities, tackle climate change, reconnect our children to the natural world, and provide essential habitats for wildlife.”
City of Trees also makes up the Manchester component of the new Northern Forest. The Northern Forest will transform the landscape of the north – spanning from Liverpool to Hull. The colossal project aims to plant 50 million trees to combat the environmental disparity that leaves the area with just 7.6% of woodland cover compared to the UK average of 13%. By supporting this initiative, SG is proud to be part of a mission that will generate thousands of jobs, create a more resilient landscape and make millions of people’s lives happier and healthier.
Assessing our Impact
We will be getting our hands stuck in (literally) with this project and are aiming to help City of Trees plant some of their 3 million trees in the New Year. This sponsorship carries our aim to become more conscious of our environmental and social impact into the coming year, aligning with the targets we set out in our Impact Report – to prioritise local initiatives and become more proactive in reducing our carbon footprint.
Read more about our Impact report at: https://sgpr.steveperrycreative.com/our-impact/
Read more about City of Tree’s recent projects, donate and get involved at: https://www.cityoftrees.org.uk/