VISY Board is thinking outside the box when it comes to beautifying the community.
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On Friday staff from the Wodonga factory joined Wodonga Council employees to plant trees near the Murray River path on Gateway Island.
Visy operations manager Lloyd Johnson said the joint effort was part of the council’s Workplaces in Open Spaces program.
Mr Johnson said Visy was quick to get on board the project when it was approached by council staff about six months ago.
He said it had synergies with the company’s priorities for sustainability too.
“It’s certainly something we were interested in straight away and it’s a way to put something back into the community,” Mr Johnson said.
“It just beautifies an area that is a main thoroughfare for bike riders and walkers and really cleans up an area that was a bit of an eyesore.”
Seven Visy Board staff joined council employees to plant 300 trees behind Weatherall’s masonry on Friday morning.
The staff will return in 12 months to remove tree guards and maintain the area.
The Workplaces in Open Spaces project was launched in March last year.
It outlines opportunities for workplaces to sponsor open space projects through making a financial contribution or through volunteering opportunities, where employees can work on projects and activities in the community as part of their working day.
Mr Johnson said Visy Board staff were randomly selected from throughout the factory business, which employed 145 in Wodonga.
“We got a cross-section of workers spending time together off-site,” he said.
“It’s good to get the team out of the office too.
“All of our staff have families and will benefit from the improvements done as part of this project.”
Workplaces in Open Spaces is a partnership between Wodonga Council, Healthy Together Wodonga, Wodonga Urban Landcare Network, Parklands Albury Wodonga and VicHealth.
A survey by Volunteering Australia found companies were keen to be involved in volunteering opportunities because they allowed the organisation to make a contribution to the community, increase work satisfaction and foster a higher level of team spirit and cohesion.
It aims to engage workplaces into corporate volunteering and corporate sponsorship opportunities in our city's open spaces and encourage employee health and wellbeing.
Mr Johnson urged other businesses on the Border to support the project in future.
He said it created spaces that enhanced civic pride and community ownership.
For more information contact Wodonga Council’s volunteer co-ordinator on (02) 6022 9300.
