Earth Day – Invest in the Planet with Santander Bank Polska
As every year, on the occasion of International Earth Day, Santander Bank Polska launches projects that will help take care of the future of our planet. One of them is a grant program „HERE I LIVE, HERE I MAKE ECO CHANGES”. The project is organized by the Santander Foundation to finance original, environmentally friendly initiatives submitted by local communities.
22 April of each year is celebrated as the International Earth Day. This year’s slogan is „Invest in Our Planet”. The action aims to promote pro-environmental attitudes and to make people aware of the importance of taking care of our planet.
For many years, Santander Bank Polska has been working for the benefit of the environment, financing renewable energy sources, educating clients and employees or supporting companies in their energy transition. The bank is also carrying out many internal changes, such as switching to renewable energy, reducing paper consumption, giving up single-use plastic and increasing the number of remote processes. All these measures bring the bank closer to its 2021 goal of becoming climate neutral in less than 30 years.
At Santander Bank Polska, we believe that we have an important role to play in the transformation of the economy. That is why we are active in the green finance market and we support energy transition and investments in renewable energy sources. Today, on the occasion of Earth Day, our Foundation is launching another edition of our grant programme. We support projects that help take care of the future of young people and in this way we implement our policy of Responsible Banking and Sustainable Development.
Eco-friendly solutions in your immediate environment
For the third time now, the Santander Foundation focuses on the environment, allocating PLN 200,000 for the „HERE I LIVE, HERE I MAKE ECO CHANGES” grant programme. Its aim is to change our immediate surroundings, creating environmentally friendly, green relaxation zones, mini-parks or rain gardens for the local communities. The most welcome solutions are the ones that are innovative and respond to the current needs of the inhabitants.
This time, the programme targets young people, so the projects should be aimed at children and adolescents up to 20 years old. The jury will select 20 most interesting projects to be financed with grants of PLN 10,000. Applications can be submitted by organizations which have been active for at least 2 years, including foundations, associations, schools or kindergartens.
Submissions can be made between 22 April and 23 May, 2022 via an online app on the Foundation’s website https://granty.fundacja.santander.pl/
The rules and detailed information can be found on the website at https://fundacja.santander.pl/
Tackling food waste
Caring for the environment means not only implementing new solutions, but also minimising bad practices such as wasting food. The Santander Foundation has become a strategic partner of the nationwide educational project „Medal-Winning Refrigerator” organised by the SOS Food Bank in Warsaw.
The aim of the campaign is to prevent wasting food, counteract its harmful impact on the climate and spread the relevant knowledge. Therefore, as part of the project, workshops on rational food management and the development of good habits are held in schools throughout Poland, targeted at children and adolescents. More than 60 volunteers, employees of Santander Bank Polska, took part in the project.
