STAFF from American Express have taken part in a science day as part of an environmental initiative.
American Express colleagues from the company’s offices in Brighton and Burgess Hill participated in the day at an Earthwatch Tiny Forest in Lancing last week.
The science day is the second of several UK volunteering activities which form part of a new partnership between American Express and Earthwatch Europe.
The Lancing Tiny Forest was planted in March 2021 in East Lancing Recreational Ground, and is the first on the south coast.
It features an outdoor classroom area for use by both local schools and community members.
Over the course of the day 38 Amex colleagues collected data to assess how the age of the forest, species composition, forest design and geographic location affect four areas:
- Flood Management: monitoring soil moisture, compaction, texture and colour
- Thermal Comfort: monitoring air temperature, humidity and wind speed
- Carbon Capture: monitoring tree species, height, diameter and mortality
- Biodiversity: monitoring butterflies, pollinators and ground dwellers
In April, American Express announced a number of grants to support nature-based solutions and sustainability efforts around the world.
Approximately £110,000 grant was awarded to Earthwatch to fund planting of several hundred trees in the UK to help mitigate the impacts of climate change and enhance biodiversity.
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