Our partnership with Irish charity Hometree was sparked by an idea from one of our managers - to mark the start of our tax professionals’ careers in a way that aligns to our purpose of makes an impact that matters. Planting a tree for each new starter gives us the opportunity to make a positive impact on the environment, while also giving our new starters a symbol to grow alongside their career – Grow Your Career.
Hometree began as a small community garden project in Co. Clare in 2015, where the team saw how important it was for people to connect with nature. Since then, Hometree has planted pioneer trees - Scots Pine, Willow and Alder - while hundreds of people have contributed time and resources to the vision of incorporating more trees into the Irish landscape, bringing all the benefits that woodlands create - carbon sequestration, water filtration, habitat provision for wildlife species, and providing an outdoor space to support wellbeing. Hometree is now expanding into the East of Ireland and last year acquired a site in Avoca, Co. Wicklow.
To welcome new tax professionals to Deloitte, and recognise this step in their career we make a number of pledges to Hometree for everyone who joins:
So far, this initiative has resulted in 109 trees being planted on behalf of our people. The employees have also had the opportunity to attend a seminar to educate them on the importance of reforestation, conservation and biodiversity and opens the door to learning more about the charity’s work. We’ve seen great engagement with the Grow Your Career initiative with many employees joining a virtual group set up to learn more about the charity and hear further updates about the Hometree journey.
“As an organisation, we’ve been really focused on reducing our paper waste of the past few years. In the area of immigration applications however, bulky paperwork still exists at times. Planting a tree for every new joiner creates some balance to this paper we use and it’s also a nice offering for new joiners, knowing a tree has been planted in their name which will grow as they grow their career”
- Lauren Morrissey
Our partnership with Hometree has evolved over time. They were nominated as our Christmas charity and received a monetary donation towards much needed work at both sites. In May, an additional 100 trees were planted following a commitment at the launch of Business in the Community’s inaugural Elevate: Inclusive Workplaces Pledge Report to plant a tree on behalf of all in-person attendees.
We are excited to continue to work with Hometree to educate and engage our people on the importance of conserving and developing native woodland in Ireland, and we look forward to seeing how the partnership continues to grow with us as we grow our careers.