The global Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the world and touched every life in many different and often very painful ways. However, the pandemic has also given us a new opportunity to reimagine a world where we focus on the needs of people and the planet and recreate systems of life, economics, education, health and employment that focus on the well-being of all people and not simply the self-centred and consumerist desires of the few.
'Never before has the slogan of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust – igniting new ways for people and nature to thrive – been more relevant than it is today,' said Augustine Morkel, manager of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust.
New global research, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature, shows that public interest in, and concern for nature, has risen markedly (16%) in the past five years and continues to grow during the Covid-19 pandemic.
'People all over the world, particularly in emerging markets, are increasingly aware of the planetary crisis, and this is affecting their behaviour. In a clear validation of a growing trend, concerned individuals, non-profit organisations, businesses, governments, and society are acting on their concerns over nature loss in an assortment of ways. And we at the WWF Nedbank Green Trust are proud to have been catalysing change for the harmonious co-existence of people and planet for the last 30 years,' said Morkel.
The WWF Nedbank Green Trust, founded in 1990 by Nedbank and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF South Africa) funds innovative projects that have the potential to contribute to solving some of South Africa’s greatest societal and environmental challenges. From the beginning, the WWF Nedbank Green Trust achieved its greatest influence through partnerships.
'We work with partners and communities who champion the custodianship of our natural resources and direct their energy and efforts to key levers of change for South Africa's future. Our prosperity depends on the coming together of governments, businesses, organisations and all people, and so, for the past 30 years, the Green Trust has worked to create and cement these interconnected relationships,' said Morkel.
This 30-year partnership has raised more than R350 million for the funding of approximately 300 major conservation projects. You can help the WWF Nedbank Green Trust by supporting the Nedbank Green Affinity Programme, which is aimed at supporting nature conservation projects through community-based programmes and is key in looking after natural resources such as our oceans, wildlife, freshwater, climate and more.
'Nedbank is proud to use its financial expertise to do good for individuals, families, businesses and society. We pride ourselves as the ‘green and caring’ bank, committed in our sustainability efforts to make a lasting difference in society. Through our partnership with the WWF-SA, we have seen the benefits of working with ordinary South Africans who share the same vision. The past 30 years have proven that by opening the doors of conservation and making it inclusive, we can all contribute to a better environment through job creation, food security and economic growth,' said Tobie Badenhorst, Head: Group Sponsorships and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.
Through the Nedbank Green Affinity Programme, South Africans are encouraged to contribute to nature conservation at no cost to them.
'Nedbank has created a programme that makes it easy for anyone to contribute and what is great about it is that your contribution comes at no cost. As a bank that cares about nature conservation, it is our duty to lead the way and encourage everyone from individuals to corporates, urban and rural communities to support the environment. As we celebrate 30 years of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, we hope to inspire all South Africans to join the Nedbank Green Affinity Programme and make the world a better place,' Badenhorst said.
Join the WWF Nedbank Green Trust for its 30th-anniversary celebration on 10 June 2021, to hear the story of the Trust and how ordinary people create solutions that become massive movements for change and the betterment of the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Register here to find out how the WWF Nedbank Green Trust has spent three decades igniting new ways for people and nature to thrive.
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