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Symcor Partners with Acres for the Atmosphere and the Toronto Zoo

Employees of Symcor joined staff of the Toronto Zoo on May 21, 2010 to plant trees to save polar bears. The event marks Symcor's $10,000 sponsorship of a project to combat global warming, in partnership with Acres for the Atmosphere and the Toronto Zoo. As the exclusive sponsor of this project, Symcor will purchase the planting materials required to reforest one full acre of the Zoo's property.
Acres for the Atmosphere is a global initiative led by the American Association of Zookeepers and Polar Bears International, aimed at conservation, education and immediate action combating global warming and protecting polar bears and their habitat.

Symcor is a North American leader in financial transaction processing with a track record of supporting environmental initiatives. The company received an award in February 2010 for Most Environmentally Progressive Printing Company based on its "holistic strategy to address environmental impact." Efforts include purchasing green energy, diverting waste from landfill, achieving tri-certification in environmental chain of custody and developing green print solutions.

Scientists predict that there may only be five years before the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere reaches levels capable of destroying polar bears' most vital resource, sea ice. Planting trees is one of the most effective ways of drawing excess CO2 from the atmosphere and offsetting the effects of global warming.

The goal of the global Acres for the Atmosphere effort is to reduce CO2 by 100 tonnes. Toronto Zoo staff will measure the level of CO2 that the acre of restored land is capable of offsetting over a 20-year period and report this figure to the larger initiative.

“We’re pleased that Symcor is demonstrating environmental stewardship by participating in this valuable initiative,” says John Tracogna, CEO, Toronto Zoo.

“Symcor is proud to partner with such well-known organizations to reforest and preserve our planet and its more vulnerable inhabitants,” says Meegan Hinds, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Statement Services. “This initiative aligns with our environmental objective to minimize our carbon footprint. It’s our goal that in addition to planting trees, the multiple efforts we’ve undertaken will result in an operation with little or no negative environmental impact on our planet.”