AIOBEU

On June 19th, 2009, All Indian Overseas Bank Employees’ Union and Project GreenHands signed an agreement to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Union.

All Indian Overseas Bank Employees’ Union (AIOBEU) is one of oldest trade unions in the country which has been striving to contribute to the betterment of society by undertaking community development and social projects periodically. Leaving its imprints of social conscience and integration with wider sections of society, the Union resolved to mark its Diamond Jubilee to fight global warming by undertaking a novel project of planting 100,000 trees in partnership with Project GreenHands.

AIOBEU believes, ‘Human life, literally and figuratively, is inseparable from mother earth and is inextricably threaded to her’. They affirm their conviction that, “In caring for mother earth, we care for ourselves”. In this context, the AIOBEU considers its 100,000 Tree Planting Project as an opportunity to work cooperatively with likeminded organizations.

AIOBEU considers planting trees as a simple and meaningful way to put our environmental concern into action because, ‘they serve as lungs, shelter, inspiration, comfort, and sustenance for other living creatures’.

AIOBEU also holds a firm conviction that if AIOBEU, a union in banking industry of around 18,000 workers, can plant 100,000 trees, one can only imagine how many trees can be planted, if all the unions in India and the globe support similar tree planting missions. With this tree planting program, AIOBEU hopes to spread this idea and message to other unions and social groups.

The project will be implemented in districts of Tamil Nadu where Project GreenHands has already launched a campaign to plant trees on farmlands following models of agro-forestry. Support from AIOBEU will allow the organization to implement awareness campaigns among the rural community, training of the farmers in agro-forestry and tree maintenance, production of 100,000 saplings and their plantation on farmland and post plantation survey activity.

Representatives of IOB management will participate in Project GreenHands functions marking the launch and closing of the plantation season. Employees of IOB will volunteer with the Project GreenHands team during project activities with the village community.