Zagreb, 1 December, 2023 – The completion of this year’s INA Green Belt program was marked by the planting of 3,000 saplings of the lužnjak oak, in which members of the INA Volunteer Club also participated.
A new forest of lužnjak oak has started to grow in the Perjasica, in the municipality of Barilović. 3,000 new seedlings were planted in the place where there was a gap left after the disease of the forest. The large afforestation campaign was realized thanks to the cooperation of INA with the Association of Croatian Scouts, Croatian Forests, the Heart agency and the CO2mpensanting by planting project. Dan Špicer, the main coordinator of the CO2mpensanting by planting project, on behalf of the Croatian Scout Association, said: “When we started this project two years ago, we never dreamed that we would achieve such results in such a short time and involve such a large number of volunteers, especially young people. I believe that all of them, by helping to plant new forests, will pay much more attention to nature and the environment in the future. For our scouts, the forest is like a second home, so we are always especially happy when we can help create new forests, and at the same time have a positive influence on other people and the community, in order to show that change for the better is always possible.”
The hard-working hands of the INA Volunteer Club helped in the reforestation campaign, which was also the grand finale of the 10th INA Green Belt, in which the company supported 15 environmental actions this year. “Healthy forests are crucial in the fight against climate change. Therefore, we announced this year’s Green Belt by supporting the spring afforestation campaign with a drone in which 2,500 so-called Seed Bombs were sown in the Grubišno Polje area. We end the year again with an afforestation campaign in Karlovac County with the help of numerous volunteers. We have been conducting corporate volunteering at INA for 12 years, which makes us a leader in terms of the voluntary involvement of employees in work for the common good. Therefore, we are especially glad that this action took place on the eve of 5 December, International Volunteer Day“, said Tamara Karagity, Director of INA Corporate Communications and Marketing.
Green Belt is an INA program intended for all civil society organizations, public and educational institutions, nature parks and voluntary firefighting societies in Croatia with the aim of encouraging environmental protection and promoting sustainable development. Through it, INA co-financed 149 environmental projects in the last 10 years, with almost half a million euros. 11,761 seedlings of flowers, trees and plants were planted, and a green area of as much as 121,339 square meters was planted.