SIBUR’s volunteers and partners planted 3,000 pine tree saplings in a forest near Tomsk
14 september 2021
September 11 saw Tomsk host a pine-tree saplings planting campaign implemented as part of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program run in cooperation with Tomskleskhoz and Tomsk Oblast’s Forestry Department.
More than 120 people took part in this eco-initiative including SIBUR’s volunteers and partners with their families, students of Tomsk Polytechnic University’s lyceum, children representing Tomsk’s Quantorium techno park and Children's and Youth’s Sports School 6, as well as children from the Timiryazevsky and Zorkaltsevsky school forestry teams. This initiative was supported by SIBUR’s employees and the local Forestry Department. Thanks to the volunteers’ efforts, 3,000 pine tree saplings were planted near Tomsk giving a start to a new one-hectare forest.
Maintaining biodiversity and minimizing our environmental impact are among the fundamental principles underpinning SIBUR's operations. We were happy to see such an enthusiastic response to this initiative from our employees and volunteers, as well as partners of our Formula for Good Deeds program. We are grateful to our partners, Tomskleskhoz and Tomsk Oblast’s Forestry Department for their help in organizing the event and for inviting school forestry teams to take part in the event. We are confident that we will be able to make such initiatives a regular occurrence, Vladimir Pleshkov, General Director of Tomskneftekhim LLC, noted.
During a dedicated master class held prior to the launch of the campaign, Tomskleskhoz’s employees briefed volunteers on how to make sure they do not damage saplings’ root system and increase their survival rate. In a year’s time, forest rangers will be sure to conduct a study of young pine trees’ survival rate.
Many thanks to SIBUR for opening the fall planting season! SIBUR has passed the baton to other companies who will hold their planting events in September and October. In just a few years these planted pine trees will be grown and will help improve the region’s overall environmental situation. We are especially glad to see children from school forestry teams joining our efforts as this is a good opportunity for them to put their skills and knowledge into practice. We hope that this event will grow into a good tradition for the benefit of forest conservation in Tomsk Oblast, Alexander Kergand, director of Tomskleskhoz, commented.
As a follow-up to the campaign, each participant took home an eco-cube with pine tree seeds to plant and grow a tree of their own.
The idea of having such a large-scale planting campaign has really resonated with us. I'm glad that my family also joined this campaign: it's a great pastime to do good (smiles). My son also planted a dozen of his own saplings today, I think it is an important part of his character development, Vyacheslav Krikunov, senior equipment operator at Tomskneftekhim’s hydrocarbon and pyrolysis feedstock production unit, shared.
If we don’t restore forests, if we don’t help them grow and expand, air will soon be sold to us in bottles. I am jesting, of course, but there’s some truth to this. It is important for me to know that I have made my own contribution: our team planted two and a half long rows. This is not the first planting event I have taken part in and so I can say that I have already gained some experience and am ready to share it, Dmitry Fedotov, a member of the Timiryazevsky school forestry team, commented.
Background information:
The Formula for Good Deeds, SIBUR's social investment program was launched on February 1, 2016 in all key cities where the company operates. It is being implemented across six focus areas covering all essential social sector domains: urban development, education and science, sports and healthy living, environmental protection, culture, and volunteering. Further details about the program are available at : www.formula-hd.ru.