IE Business School donates €12,000 to WWF for Doñana reforestation project

Through these students IE was able to contribute €12,000 toward the reforestation of a four-hectare area in La Rocina, following on from the recovery of 8.5 hectares funded by IE contributions over the last 3 years. The students planted 200 trees of 5 different native species, specifically wild olive, cork, myrtle, olivilla and mastic trees.

The project, organized by Campus Life and IE Editorial, is a direct result of the implementation of an IE Editorial initiative for all IE programs called Print On Demand Service (POD) as part of corporate social responsibility campaign. The objective was to establish a paperless philosophy at IE to save energy and paper, in line with IE’s commitment to society and the environment.

“At IE all teaching materials are available in digital format,” explains Joaquín Garralda, Dean of Academic Affairs at IE Business School. “Despite this, it’s difficult to reduce the consumption of paper in an academic environment, particularly when the case method is used. In order to foster the right approach, the “Print on Demand” policy was implemented, whereby those students who wish to receive materials in print format have to pay for it. It’s a symbolic amount and all money paid throughout the year is dedicated to WWF’s “100 Companies for Forestland” project. Hence, not only is less paper used, but the money paid to do so is used to plant trees to raise students’ awareness of the environmental impact of individual actions.”

“This initiative has enabled students to forge closer links with their colleagues, and to work in accordance with the core values we promote at IE, like teamwork, solidarity, and commitment to the environment. They have taken part in a unique initiative which will have a definite multiplier effect both on our campus and in society,” said Cynthia Fernández, Director of Publishing at IE Business School.

The Doñana National Park is located in Andalusia, in the South of Spain, between the provinces of Huelva and Seville. Doñana comprises a mosaic of ecosystems that host a biodiversity system that is unique in Europe. The marshes play a crucial role as a place where thousands of European and African birds breed and spend the winter. Some species of birds and animals are unique to Doñana and under serious threat of distinction, such as the imperial Iberian eagle and the Iberian lynx.