The Ricoh Big Green Day Out 2018!
Ricoh team up with SBN and Matuku Link Reserve Trust
On Sunday, 26 August, 72 Ricoh staff, customers and their families joined eight volunteers from Sustainable Business Network (SBN) and Matuku Link in the Waitakere Ranges for the annual tree planting event.
Located in Bethell’s Valley, Matuku Link is a 37-hectare property comprising native bush and former wetlands and was bought by the Matuku Reserve Trust in 2016.
”It was great to introduce Matuku Link to so many interested Ricoh staff members and their families, they worked hard and hopefully took away the value of wetland for our native flora and fauna,” says Annalily van den Broeke, of Matuku Reserve Trust.
More than 90 per cent of New Zealand’s wetlands ecosystems have been drained or filled in and it is the goal of the Matuku Reserve Trust to re-establish this vital part of our natural environment.
Led by the SBN and Matuku Link personnel, the Ricoh volunteers took part in three activities—tree planting, plant restoration and a guided bush walk.
The volunteers were divided into three teams and each team spent an hour on each activity.
As a result, 580 native plants—manuka, kanuka and ti kouka—were planted along an 80-metre stretch of wetland area and a similar area of plants was cleared of weeds.
“It was really heartening to see everyone mucking in to get this great result,”says Ricoh Sustainability Coordinator, Helen Mahoney. “I would personally like to acknowledge Annalily van den Broeke and Dr John Sumich of Matuku Reserve Trust for their involvement on the day and to thank Georgina Hart and Alaina Pomeroy from SBN for their help in putting the event together.”
Adam Parker, from Ricoh customer J. A. Russell was enjoying his second Ricoh Big Green Day Out, “My wife and I and two teenage kids just attended our second Ricoh Big Green Day Out at Matuku Link near Bethells Beach. We enjoyed another day out in the great outdoors, planting trees, clearing around young plants and being guided round the property to understand the importance of such work and the vision behind it – rewarded even further by the best of BBQ lunches (and a cold beer). Thanks Ricoh for the opportunity to put some time into these important conservation projects. Well be back next year.”
A huge thanks to everyone who came along on the day and helped to make it another successful Big Green Day Out with Ricoh!
Many thanks also to the following companies for their support:
Spit Roast Catering Company
Karma Kola
Ecostore
Commonsense
Forevercup
Honey Wrap
The Sleep Store
Au Natural