Ian Williams has pledged its support for an ambitious environmental campaign in Bristol, close to the business’ head office. The One Tree Per Employee initiative aims to help grow a quarter of a million new trees in the city by 2030, delivered under the banner of Replant Bristol, a catalyst group comprising the Forest of Avon Trust, Bristol City Council, Bristol Tree Forum and the Woodland Trust. Kicking off this Christmas, the campaign will contribute towards achieving the target set by One City Plan of doubling the city’s canopy cover by 2046.
Ian Williams’ Exec Director Mike Turner comments: “We’re excited to support the One Tree Per Employee initiative as we recognise and value the huge amount of benefits that trees bring to our urban environment. Ian Williams is the largest organisation to have joined this campaign so far and our contribution will see almost 1000 trees planted. Although a national organisation, we have a strong heritage and base in the Bristol area and wanted to do something a bit different to give back to both our staff here and the city. Pledging to buy one tree for each of our employees is the perfect way to do just this and as Christmas presents go, this is totally sustainable and a perfect reflection of Ian Williams’ commitment to helping the environment in whatever way we can.”
Councillor Asher Craig, Deputy Mayor for Communities at Bristol City Council said: “Trees add colour and life to our urban spaces, improving health and wellbeing while creating natural wildlife corridors and reducing pollution. We want Bristol’s fantastic businesses, whether they employ one person or one thousand, to collaborate with us to help shape our beautiful green city. Imagine what it will look like if we all work together.”
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “Trees are key to us tackling air pollution and fighting climate change, so we’re calling on Bristol businesses great and small to get involved in the project this Christmas and help us achieve our bold ambition of planting a quarter of a million trees by 2030.”
The One Tree Per Employee campaign supports the environment at the start of a tree’s life, but Ian Williams is also helping out at the other end of a tree’s life cycle. For the third consecutive year, the company is supporting Longfield Hospice’s Christmas Tree Recycle Campaign by donating vans used by a team of volunteers to collect Christmas trees from homes and businesses across Gloucestershire at the end of the festive period. Last year, raising £22,000, the initiative collected and recycled over 2,500 trees, stripping and debarking them before bagging them up as chips to raise money for the charity and also enhance to hospice’s gardens.
For more information on the charitable projects in which Ian Williams are involved https://www.ianwilliams.co.uk/ian-williams-foundation/
