Hershey employees volunteer plant trees to reduce carbon footprints

Employees from The Hershey Company Philippines vow to plant 5,000 seedlings to help reduce carbon emissions in Metro Manila

For the third consecutive year, employees of The Hershey Company Philippines gathered once again for a trek on November 14, 2014. This was not a trek for everybody’s enjoyment, but to fulfill the company’s goal to help reduce the carbon footprints in the environment.

The Hershey Company, in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), has been doing its tree planting activity in response to a study conducted by a third party consultant in 2010, which identified the number of trees needed to offset the company’s carbon emission to the environment.

More than 30 employees from the company, accompanied by PBSP representatives, climbed the steep Mt. Puray in Rodriguez, Rizal, and planted fruit bearing seedlings that could later absorb the carbon footprints which largely contributes to global warming. A total of 7,200 fruit bearing seedlings were planted on the mountain since the project started in 2011. These seedlings will be the source of livelihood for the Kolo-ka-koloy, the indigenous people living in the community who will also be the caretakers of the seedlings planted.

The Hershey Company Philippines has always been true to its CSR driver of Shared Goodness. The employees also took this opportunity to give vegetable seedlings and bags filled with grocery items to the families of Kolo-ka-koloy. They also shared their signature chocolates which stirred excitement from the people.

Giving back to the community has always been a key driver in the company’s CSR initiatives, as they can see the happiness and gratitude from the faces of the people who benefit from their programs