FDB SUPPORTS EARTH HOUR INITIATIVE

With 162 countries officially taking part in the movement, Earth Hour has grown into the world’s largest community-driven campaign for the planet. The Fiji Development Bank pledged its continued support for Earth Hour when it handed over a cheque of $1,000 to the local organisers of the event, the World Wide Fund (WWF).

In a press conference yesterday at the FDB head office in Suva, FDB General Manager Relationship and Sales Mr Tevita Madigibuli handed over the cheque to WWF Manager Finance Sanjay Kumar.

“The bank is an enthusiastic advocate of sustainable and renewable energy and this sponsorship reinforces our support. Having clear environmentally friendly objectives is an important part of being a good corporate citizen,” said Mr Madigibuli.

“Understanding the impact we have on our environment in terms of development is imperative to the sustainability of our natural resources. This is the reason behind our move to include an Environment Management Plan as a loan requirement for our clients. This ensures that our clients take care of the environment through the course of their business.”

Earth Hour is a worldwide event that started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. The global program continues to bring people together through a symbolic hour-long event meant to spur the general public into taking action beyond the hour.

In addition to its support for green initiatives, the bank has continued to work on building its green portfolio through the sustainable energy financing facility (SEFF) which is available for solar, hydro, energy efficient equipment and coconut oil fuel.

Available in conjunction with the partial guarantee provided by the World Bank, the bank has to date financed 31 projects valued at close to $4.35MM.