$2M of Native Trees Funded by Honda TreeFund

$2 Million of Native Trees Funded by Honda TreeFund

Honda TreeFund is celebrating accumulating funding for the planting of 400,000 – or $2 million dollars worth of – native trees since its inception in 2004.

The milestone comes, coincidentally, at the same time as Conservation Week (September 13-20) and in a year where Honda TreeFund has provided Local and Regional Councils across New Zealand funding for the planting of an estimated 70,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses.

“Honda has a worldwide reputation for leading the way in environmental responsibility – and in New Zealand a cornerstone of our commitment is the Honda TreeFund. Over the past five years, hundreds of community projects across the country have directly benefited and we are looking forward to seeing the great work that will be achieved with this new round of funding,” says Honda New Zealand Managing Director Graeme Seymour.

Established in 2004, Honda TreeFund sees Honda NZ and its agent network fund the planting of 13 native trees (or the equivalent of) for every new Honda sold. Honda owners are encouraged to contribute to the fund, as are members of the wider public who can donate at their local Honda agent. Funds are distributed in the areas they are accumulated with Local and Regional Councils selecting projects meaningful to their communities.

In 2009, 17 councils – from Northland Regional Council to Environment Southland – allocated Honda TreeFund funding to community projects that establish tree populations, control water run off or erosion, promote coastal protection, encourage, protect and restore local biodiversity, enhance and rehabilitate urban waterways and beautify public spaces.

“The benefits of Honda TreeFund are far more wide reaching than simply planting trees to offset emissions. Projects important to local communities are able to go ahead that might not otherwise get the green-light and on top of that, community planting days and publicity around the projects encourage people to think about their environment and the part they play in either its deterioration or improvement,” says Mr Seymour.

"Honda TreeFund not only enabled us to go ahead with some much needed plantings around the school but it also got the kids actively involved with shaping their environment and thinking about the important ecological issues we are facing today,” agrees Hokitika Primary School Principal Cliff Beaumont, one of the past recipients of Honda TreeFund funding.

Locally and globally Honda – the world’s largest engine maker – is committed to environmental responsibility. As well as programmes like TreeFund, Honda takes a proactive approach, striving to create automobiles that produce fewer, less polluting emissions, a strategy it believes is more effective than an “offset” approach.

Honda is well known for being at the forefront of work to achieve cleaner exhaust emissions, improve fuel efficiency and develop products that use alternate fuels – such as the world’s first clean-fuel hydrogen car, the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, which was named the world’s greenest car in April of this year. In New Zealand, Honda was one of the first manufacturers to introduce hybrid technology with the Honda Civic Hybrid launch in 2004.

All Honda vehicles in New Zealand boast emissions standards significantly better than those legislated by government, and Honda has been the only car company to enter its full fleet into the EnergyWise Rally in an effort to provide New Zealanders concerned about the environment with full and transparent information. They have won the supreme award two times running (with the Civic Hybrid) and last year claimed seven of the top ten most energy efficient cars across the entire Rally.

Internationally, Honda has won an array of awards – including holding the title of Greenest Automobile Maker from The Union of Concerned Scientists (a world-leading not-for-profit group of scientists and policy experts undertaking independent research) since 2001.

ENDS

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