Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd has launched three social sustainability programmes in a bid to make its contribution towards increasing food security, addressing climate change and community development.
On Wednesday, Heritage launched Here We Grow, Heritage Outreach to Maximise Environmental Excellence (HOMEE), and Heritage Information Technology Training (HITT) at the Palo Seco Government Primary School, #4 Road, Los Charos, Palo Seco.
La Brea MP Stephen Mc Clashie said the launch was a positive step for the company as it sought to establish itself in the community as he acknowledged his constituency had benefited from support from oil companies such as Trintopec and Trintoc.
“I expect to see a lot of activity, particularly around the farm initiative and training of those 50 people in the first cohort. The HITT programme, which is the IT training programme is also going be quite instrumental,” said Mc Clashie.
“I think in combination the two programmes really will enhance the lives of the people of the community and I really thank Heritage for taking that initiative and bringing these programmes,” he said.
Arlene Chow, CEO of Heritage, said the company could not ignore its own social responsibility, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chow noted that the HOMEE programme was particularly important given the international concerns about climate change as well as the government’s own commitment to reduce carbon emissions.
“The impact of environmental degradation and climate change is even more severe. In small island developing states like ours, we are seeing record rainfall and flooding that was really bad that occurred in our country in November. It was terrible. It’s a stark reminder of the evidence of climate change and especially its impact on small islands like us.
“And if you look at California right now, and you see the news, they are really flooding out in the most expensive areas. And so all of us none of us are immune to this. These recent events really give us the impetus and other countries to towards greater diversification, innovation, and sustainable development,” said Chow, who added that the Here We Grow programme could be crucial to efforts to improve food security. The programme will see Heritage provide seedlings as it encourages participants to create their own gardens.
“I love to plant and it struck me that when you said eat what you grow, is that people don’t do that. Because growing up in a country, that’s what you do. And so this here we grow is actually promoted that again, those things that you used to do long time you eat what you grew,” said Chow.
Heritage’s corporate communications manager Arlene Gorin-George said this generation has a critical responsibility to take care of our environment so that it can be handed over to future generations and as such Heritage was doing its part.
“We are resolute at Heritage to work and partner with you to make the changes that are required in order to ensure that we have a better, a brighter and more sustainable future for all of us,” Gorin-George said.