Employee volunteers give Landcare groups many helping hands
Telstra employees volunteering at Melbourne’s Westgate Park
Employee volunteers give Landcare groups many helping hands
Thousands of trees have been planted, dozens of beaches cleaned-up and countless tons of weeds removed by employees participating in corporate volunteer days supporting local Landcare and Coastcare groups across Australia.
Landcare Australia’s volunteer program for corporate employees has been running for over 20 years and contributes to uniquely Australian partnerships between the community, government and business to better manage our crucial land and water assets.
We have many corporate partners that participate and with close to 1,000 employees volunteering one-day a year, Telstra is one of our largest employee engagement contributors. They work alongside Landcare and Coastcare groups across a range of sites – coastal areas, native bushland, urban sites or regional locations in all six Australian states.
Lindsay Wickson from Oxley Creek Catchment Association in Brisbane said, “Telstra’s ongoing dedication to habitat and land restoration has greatly improved the quality of Granard wetlands.”
Volunteering also offers benefits for employees including gaining new skills and knowledge, enjoying a sense of achievement and fulfilment, developing personally and boosting self-esteem, as well as connecting to and better understand their community.
Telstra employee, Blake Morvad, shares her personal experience
“Along with a few other employees, I volunteered with Landcare at the Oxley Creek Common in Queensland. We assisted in a native revitalisation project, spending the morning identifying and removing noxious weeds from the bush and planting native trees and foliage in the afternoon.
“We received feedback from the Landcare Group that the area of land we cleared as a team in one morning usually took a volunteer upwards of three weeks to clear, which was amazing to hear.
In contrast to my ‘desk job’ it was refreshing to get my hands dirty and make a contribution to a project where I could see the physical outcomes before my eyes.”
Excerpt from Telstra Exchange – online publication for Telstra employees.
Landcare and Coastcare groups, as well as businesses, can click here for information about Landcare Australia’s Corporate Volunteering Program.
