10 years partnership between HSM and OroVerde

The rainforests of Guatemala are a real treasure, where rare species such as the bright red macaw, howler monkey, the quetzal and the jaguar live. The “Land of Trees” project covers all OroVerde activities in three different protected areas in Guatemala. From mountainous fog rainforest in the “Sierra de las minas” mountain range (biosphere reserve) to the plains around “Bocas del Polochic” (game reserve) to the deepest core area of the “Sierra del Lacandón” national park. Plants and animals in these rainforest areas could not be more different. From a long-term perspective, they all need to be protected and reforested through alternative sources of income and diets of the local people. Since 2008, HSM has been supporting the protection of these valuable habitats in three protected areas with more than 466,000 hectares, thereby making a valuable contribution to species and climate protection.

“Thanks to the support of HSM and our project partners, we can now carry out effective rainforest protection in so many project communities in Guatemala – and continue to expand our work”, reports Dr. med. Elke Mannigel, Head of International Projects at OroVerde. “We would like to sincerely thank HSM for their financial commitment and hope that other supporters will follow suit and promote our important work on rainforest and climate protection”, said Dr. Elke Mannigel.

The commitment to environmental protection already starts at HSM’s own plants. Environmentally sound production and the integration of environmental concerns into the processes are as much a matter of course as is support of environmentally conscious conduct of our own employees. In addition to the use of a photovoltaic system and geothermal energy, large parts of the offices and factory halls are heated by means of heat recovery from the production facilities. In addition, the HSM plants are certified with environmental audits and many HSM products have been awarded environmental labels such as the “Blue Angel”. In addition to its involvement with OroVerde, HSM provides support for SOS Kinderdorf International, Doctors Without Borders and many others. HSM is also involved in many regional projects such as youth camps, facilities for the disabled and youth in sports clubs.

About OroVerde:
OroVerde was founded in 1989 by renowned personalities from business and science. The initiator (former honorary foundation chairman) was Prof. Dr. med. Wolfgang Engelhardt, Honorary President of the German Nature Conservation Union (DNR), the umbrella organisation of German nature conservation and environmental protection organisations. The charitable foundation focuses on specific and lasting contributions to the protection of tropical forests. The aim is to preserve the forest’s biodiversity and climate function. The work is organised and coordinated by a small interdisciplinary management team at the Bonn headquarters.