In last four years ht has invested almost two million kuna in ecological donations
9.6.2011
In the Faculty of Forestry in Zagreb, Hrvatski Telekom presented today the project of Afforestation of Burnt Areas and rewarded its guests with a lecture on exceptional importance of forests for the ecosystem of the Earth. The project was presented by Maja Weber, Director of the Public Relations Department, and Ružica Gajić, Environmental Manager. Milan Oršanić, prof. dr., Head of the Faculty of Forestry in Zagreb, addressed the attendants in an educational lecture. Special guests of the gathering in Maksimir were the students of the Elementary School of Jure Kaštelan in Zagreb, who cooperated with HT on the earlier eco campaign in which used mobile phones were collected.
With the project of Afforestation of Burnt Areas, HT has directly invested, for a fourth successive year, in a unique and wide ecological content, thus proving its permanent responsibility towards the community. This year’s investment is the continuation of the last year’s project with the same title. This year, 27 ha of forest will be afforested with Alpine pine, cypress, and stone pine shoots. The afforestation will be implemented on five locations of forest area destroyed by summer fire in recent years: Biograd, Imotski, Metković, Split, and Korčula.
Prof. dr. Oršanić talked to the present students, also eco activists, about the importance of forests as the most complex ecosystem on the Earth. Despite the general understanding of forests as the source of wood, we heard that forests, along with sea areas, have the most significant effect on the quality of living on the Earth: forests are a habitat of plant and animal species, they provide ecological protection as well as economic and social benefits. With 48% of its territory covered by forests, Croatia belongs to medium afforested countries and is exceptionally rich with forest species. Although enormously important, forests are, unfortunately, subject to negative human activities, resulting frequently in fires. Since in the Mediterranean part of Croatia fires can be considered the most important ecological destabilizing factors, it is particularly highlighted that the most effective methods for the restoration of ecosystems damaged by fire are education of the population and afforestation.
„I am pleased that today I have the opportunity to contribute to the education of the youngest about how forest is built, how it functions, who lives in the forest, but also to indicate the consequences that may arise when people, through lack of knowledge or attention, disturb the necessary natural balance resulting in forest destruction. The knowledge of life in forest is a precondition and the best way for all of us, particularly for the future generations, to start looking at forests in a correct way, because forests can survive without people, but people cannot survive without forests,” said prof. dr. Milan Oršanić, Head of the Faculty of Forestry in Zagreb.
"One of the three areas of corporate social responsibility of Hrvatski Telekom, a company in which the awareness of responsible business operations is deeply rooted in its activities, are efforts put into reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Having that goal in mind, this year we decided once again to help forests as natural atmosphere filters, for the benefit of us all and of future generations," said Maja Weber, Director of the Public Relations Department of Hrvatski Telekom.
The possibility of using electronic bill, which the company offered to the users of T-Com services two years ago, is also highlighted as another way in which HT contributes to nature conservation. This is a manner of invoice delivery which saves paper, because at the beginning of each month the e-bill is delivered to the customer in a fast and safe way by e-mail. This type of invoice is particularly favorable for customers who make their payments by means of Internet banking or a standing order. It can be easily activated at T-points of sale, free telephone line 0800-9000, or by visiting customer pages My T.
As of tomorrow, on HT’s Facebook fan page customers may find the Green Calculator, programmed to calculate energy savings in the case of use of electronic instead of paper invoices. After entering the data on the monthly number of invoices for HT services, the calculator will show savings calculated as the number of trees, amount of water and electricity, and the degree of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere.
So far, Hrvatski Telekom invested in the separately designed ecological project on three occasions: 2008 in the afforestation of four areas in all parts of Croatia, 2009 in the conservation of marshland as a habitat of endangered species, and 2010 in the afforestation of four earlier burnt locations.
By announcing this project at the beginning of the season of high risk of fire, this year once again HT tries to contribute to the community and nature by encouraging the public to act in a conscientious manner in order to prevent summer fires.