Earthwatch Institute - To most people, Barra Galindo, Mexico, is a sleepy coastal community and a pretty beach. But to Rosario Aizcorbe Galaz and Miguel Ramirez Sanchèz, both employees of HSBC Mexico, Barra Galindo is a place on Earth where they made a difference. These two bankers worked with scientists on an Earthwatch Institute expedition to conserve threatened sea turtles.

Thanks to "Investing in Nature," HSBC's partnership with Earthwatch Institute, Galaz and Sanchèz spent two weeks with the turtles on the coast, then returned home to apply the conservation lessons they learned in their local community. More than 2,000 HSBC employees will be awarded a chance to participate in Earthwatch expeditions around the globe as part of HSBC's program.

"In this era of globalization, corporate responsibility is no longer merely about local labor issues, pollution control, or energy efficiency," said Ed Barker, Director of Corporate Partnerships at Earthwatch. "Sustainable businesses are those that are helping find global solutions to our most pressing environmental and social issues."

In addition to HSBC, many other companies have recognized the benefits of working with Earthwatch, including key partners Starbucks, Timberland, and Wells Fargo.

Earthwatch is celebrating its 35-year anniversary on April 20, 2006 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The birthday event will feature many leading conservation scientists supported by Earthwatch, along with founder Brian Rosborough and current Earthwatch President Ed Wilson. The celebration, which includes a sneak preview of the award-winning HD documentary, "A Year on Earth," will salute more than 82,000 Earthwatch volunteers. Many of these volunteers are supported by the generosity of over 50 Fortune 500 corporations, who have contributed to research and conservation efforts around the world.

"I see in Earthwatch a powerful opportunity to give our partners (employees) a chance to contribute personally to conservation and improve their understanding of the Earth's natural ecosystems," says Ben Packard, director of environmental affairs for Starbucks Coffee Company. Starbucks has sent several employees to Costa Rica through Earthwatch to help small-scale coffee farmers restore their rainforest and grow coffee more sustainably.

For HSBC, Timberland, Wells Fargo, Starbucks and others, Earthwatch volunteer opportunities provide a unique vehicle to build on and expand their commitment to the environment in ways that create internal and external value.

"Through this extraordinary opportunity, partners rejuvenate not only their personal commitments but also their passion for the company's commitment to environmental leadership," says Packard.

Timberland employees participating in Earthwatch's Lakes of the Rift Valley project in East Africa will be accompanied this year by a local teacher, who will report "Live from the Field" using satellite phone and an Internet web site. Timberland will also donate 1 percent of all proceeds from a special "Friends and Family" sale this month, as well as $5 for each water bottle and $10 for each Earth Day T-shirt, to support Earthwatch's water conservation projects.

"The experience was a life-changing; one that will stay with me forever," said Deborah Brookes, an HSBC employee from Oxford, England, who participated on the Earthwatch-supported Australia's Vanishing Frogs project. "Before I went I was just like everyone else--I did a small amount to help the environment--but now I feel really passionate about it and want to share my experience with as many people as possible."

Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that supports scientific field research by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.

More about Earthwatch www.earthwatch.org

To attend the April 20 Birthday Party in New York events@earthwatch.org

To interview representatives from the corporate partners, contact dwillis@earthwatch.org

More about Earthwatch corporate partnerships www.earthwatch.org/corporate/opportunities.html.

More about HSBC's Investing in Nature program http://www.hsbc.com:80/hsbc/csr/environment/investing-in-nature.

Entry forms for Restoring Costa Rica's Rainforest contest, which runs through May 3, 2006, are available at Starbucks stores and online: www.starbucks.com/earthwatch.

More about Timberland's Friends and Family event, which runs until April 17 http://www.earthwatch.org/Timberland/FandF.html

Earthwatch

Earthwatch

Earthwatch Institute is an international environmental organisation whose mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Earthwatch currently supports over 130 environmental research projects in 50 countries by providing funds and paying volunteers who work alongside leading field scientists and researchers.

More from Earthwatch