RBTT has contributed TT$20,000 to Environment Tobago (ET) and The Caribbean Institute of Sustainability (CIS)-two non-governmental organisations involved in the promotion of environmental responsibility and awareness through education, training, research and advocacy. ET supports the protection and restoration of Tobago's environment through proactive advocacy against negative environmental activities. The Caribbean Institute of Sustainability incorporates training and education, lobbying, and research into its approach to safeguarding the nation's human and natural resources.
Anna-Maria Kurbanali, RBTT's regional manager, Corporate Responsibility, said as an RBC company, RBTT was committed to promoting environmental sustainability in the region. "Our priority areas of focus are climate change, biodiversity and water. And our parent company has made significant strides, internationally, to reduce its environmental footprint and promote responsible business practices, products and services. In the region, we are adopting a holistic approach to environmental preservation that incorporates financial contributions as well as employee participation." RBC is recognised as one of Canada's Greenest Employers, and is listed as one of the most sustainable large corporations according to the 2011 Global 100: Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking.
RBC is committed to environmental responsibility, and has been recognised as a leader by socially responsible investors and external rating agencies, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Jantzi Social Index, the FTSE4 Good Index, and the Canadian Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. RBC directs a significant portion of its philanthropic efforts to environmental causes, programmes and initiatives globally. The RBC Blue Water Project is one such programme, a ten-year $300 million project to support research and projects that protect watersheds and ensure access to clean drinking water. To date, RBC has disbursed $168 million in grants to 380 organisations around the world under the Blue Water Project.
T&T is an RBC Blue Water Project grant beneficiary. In 2008, $1.5 million was pledged over three years to the Caribbean arm of the Institute for Public Health and Water Research, to conduct research and educational programmes aimed at changing prevailing water-related attitudes and practices, and introduce methods for safe rain-water harvesting. Another $.4M was granted for a second project in 2010, coordinated by the Women Gender Water Network/Institute of Gender and Development Studies, at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine. The group conducted water-education camps during the July/August school holidays in Biche, Matelot and Icacos, to raise awareness of safe water-collection and conservation strategies and water's role in health and sanitation.
To learn more about the RBC Environmental Blueprint visit: http://www.rbc.com/environment/index.html