Landcare Queensland
PO Box 13204, George Street Q 4003
M E D I A R E L E A S E
08 October 2009
Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology employees
volunteer for Landcare
A new partnership between Landcare Queensland and Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology will be
launched this weekend as employees of the company team up with landcare groups on the Gold
Coast and in Cairns to get their hands dirty whilst improving their local environment.
The first of fifteen planned employee volunteer days will take place on Saturday 10 and Sunday
11 October with Friends of Federation Walk at Southport on the Gold Coast and Cairns Urban
Landcare respectively.
Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology managing partner Dr Michael Harrison said: “We’ve been funding
tree planting for some time as a way of offsetting the carbon footprint created by our courier
cars. They are vital in getting patients’ test samples to the lab in time – we can’t do without
them, they actually help save lives -- but they come at a price. They clock up many kilometres a
year and burn carbon dioxide generating fuel.”
“It would be relatively simple to keep throwing money at the problem but we wanted to find a
solution that would have longer-term, deeper benefits.”
“Most of us at SNP are personally committed to conservation. We care about the environment and
many of us want to do something practical that can make a difference. Realistically, most of us
probably wouldn’t take action on our own, but in the company of others – our friends and
colleagues --we could be inspired to get out there and roll up our sleeves. We’re hoping that
through working with a Landcare project at the local level, everyone involved will have a
satisfying and rewarding experience – and this is something that is actually quite priceless”, said
Dr Harrison.
Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology will commit an estimated $60,000 towards the program over the
next twelve months and with many landcare groups receiving little or no funding for their
activities, these funds will not only help cover the costs of hosting an environmental volunteering
day but will also allow the groups to carry out on-ground works they may not otherwise have had
the resources to do.
Landcare Queensland Manager, Chloe Tanner said “we are very excited to see the first of these
Sullivan Nicolaides employee volunteering days taking place this coming weekend. The
environmental volunteering program with Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology will not only assist
landcare groups by providing extra hands for on-ground projects it also engages new members of
the community in environmental activities.”
“Education and behavioural change is a core challenge for everyday sustainability and the
employee volunteering approach delivers on this important objective. Volunteers will come away
Landcare Queensland
PO Box 13204, George Street Q 4003
from a landcare volunteering experience with a better understanding of their local catchment
and how their activities at home and work can impact on the environment in which they live.”
Queensland businesses and companies are showing an increased interest in committing their time
and resources to supporting community lead environmental initiatives reflecting a greater sense
of ownership and responsibility for the future health of Queensland natural resources. Contact
Landcare Queensland on 07 3211 4413 or chloe@landcare.org.au to find out more about how your
company can volunteer for and contribute to landcare projects.
Media enquiries to Landcare Queensland, 07 3211 4413.
NEWS 
