SA Express plants Arbor Week trees at Mehlareng School
The tree planting took place in an effort to raise awareness on climate change and promote a greater sense of environmental responsibility in the younger generation this season
SOUTH African Express celebrated Arbor Day by donating and planting indigenous trees at the airline’s adopted Mehlareng Combined Farm School in Bredell.
The tree planting took place in an effort to raise awareness on climate change and promote a greater sense of environmental responsibility in the younger generation this season.
SA Express CEO Inati Ntshanga addressed students and staff of the school, highlighting that Arbor Week was in line with the airline’s commitments to the Rio Declaration on Climate Change.
“SA Express is committed to promoting a greater sense of environmental awareness through the planting of, and caring for trees.”
“Planting these trees is largely symbolic, and through actions such as these we seek to ignite the interest of companies, schools, parents and scholars to plant trees of their own. Only through awareness can we do something meaningful about global warming,” said Ntshanga.
Ntshanga explained that the Rio Declaration states that business has the responsibility to ensure that activities within their own operations do not cause harm to the environment.
“Society in turn looks to the business community to act as good corporate citizens that participate in the broader community. Business gains its legitimacy through meeting the needs of society and increasingly society is expressing a clear wish for more environmentally sustainable practices.”
Ntshanga said the airline was committed to promoting environmental responsibility because they care and are committed to ensuring positive change in the communities in which they operate.
“We represent an industry that is making great strides to reduce its carbon footprint. Today’s aircraft leave a far smaller trail of pollution than those of just one generation ago. Nonetheless, emissions are inherent in the aviation industry and to this extent we seek to counter the carbon footprint created by planting trees and implementing other improvements to the environment,” concluded Ntshanga.
