Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1176246
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 OCTOBER 2019 21 COMMERCIAL FOR the third consecutive year, MAPFRE has continued to strengthen its ongoing com- mitment towards environmen- tal sustainability by holding its Global Volunteering Day. Similar to previous years, the volunteering activities pertain- ing to this year's initiative fo- cused on the restoration and reforestation of degraded areas as well as cleaning up garbage and waste from any marine habitats. The event took place this Oc- tober as part of its global pro- gram dedicated to corporate social responsibility. In the MAPFRE Malta 2019 Global Volunteering Pro- gramme, around 1,000 kilo- grams of waste were collected from Ġnejna Bay, which con- sisted of a whole inboard en- gine, ladders, large shards of glass and several types of pack- aging material. It was apparent that a number of individuals had decided to irresponsibly dispose of their waste in these secluded natu- ral environments, which could have easily been avoided with the help of the Bulk Refuse Collection provided by Local Councils around Malta. Nevertheless, a whole large skip was later filled with waste which had been collected in just over an hour by the volunteers. Unfortunately, since a lot of the materials had already been ex- posed to the natural elements for too long, they had become unrecyclable over time. Additionally, two turtles named Jane and Angelique were released on that very morning following the clean- up at Ġnejna Bay. Both of the turtles had initially been found entangled in the marine debris left behind. Unfortunately, some of the other turtles were not as lucky as Jane and Angelique, since lately a number of them were found dead after sustaining in- juries due to either having been entangled in netting or having ingested hooks which were not removed correctly. For these reasons, Nature Trust Malta strongly urges people to contact the Wildlife Rescue Team as opposed to attempting to free the turtles themselves. Last year, thanks to the par- ticipation of 25 countries and comprising a total of 58 global activities, over 1,500 volun- teers participated by plant- ing 1,720 trees and collecting more than 35 tons of garbage and waste. Notwithstanding this, both the 2018 and 2019 MAPFRE Global Volunteering Pro- grammes had left a positive impact on the environment as well as the United Nations' Sus- tainable Development Goals. Going forward, MAPFRE Malta will continue to com- mit themselves towards envi- ronmental sustainability, more specifically the restoration of degraded areas and the clean- ing up of marine habitats. MAPFRE Malta organises clean-up at Ġnejna Bay for Global Volunteering Day DURING the month of September, In- terContinental Malta and Holiday Inn Express, organised a number of activities for the 'IHG Giving for Good' campaign. September was dedicated to colleagues coming together to make a positive change through volunteering, donations, taking care of the environment, or activi- ties focused on well-being. The month-long campaign kicked off with members of our staff, taking part in the Puttinu Cares - Football & Volleyball Marathon, where €300 were collected and donated. Amongst other activities, dog walks were held at Noah's Ark Dog Sanctuary together with a contribution of over €200 worth of goods and food for the dogs re- siding there. During the weeks, clothes were donated by members of staff and given to a number of organisations such as; Dar Merħba Bik, Sebħ and AWAS. Two of the biggest initiatives organised throughout the month, were the 'Bags2S- chool' and 'Renovation Project'. The 'Bags2School' Campaign; donations were collected from both the staff and guests staying at the hotels, for the purchasing of school supplies and new backpacks for various children residing at the afore- mentioned establishments. 'Renovation Project' campaign; the ho- tels organised fundraising staff events and with the money collected, a contri- bution of TVs and washing machines to- gether with staff who volunteered to help finish of renovations at Alberto Marvelli residence for Homeless Young People and Ursuline Sisters in Tarxien. Commenting about this is Cluster Gen- eral Manager for InterContinental and Holiday Inn Express Malta, Lior Bebera; 'One of the most humbling Giving for Good campaigns that I have ever expe- rienced. I am very proud to see all my colleagues get so involved in such activi- ties and I am truly overwhelmed with all that was generated and donated. Seeing the joy on the people's faces, especially of the children when presenting the gifts, encourages the team and myself to con- tinue organising more and more of such events, as this is our core responsibility; to give back and do good.' Giving for Good month organised by InterContinental Malta and Holiday Inn Express