TAIF: a grove a year

18,6 million trees in 8 years

The republican environmental campaign Forest Planting Day was launched under the patronage of the Tatarstan ministry of forestry in 2011. It takes place twice a year — in April and October. From the very first time, it has become massive in scope. Tens of thousands of people representing hundreds of large and small enterprises, companies and organizations have already planted 18,6 million trees over 8 years.

This year, with the active participation of TAIF Group, Tatarstan expects to cross the mark of 10 million seedlings. But this is not all that TAIF Group does to maintain the balance in the environment.

TAIF-NK PSC — 300 hectares of forest in 2009

In 2009 alone, an area of 300 hectares was planted in two stages by the employees of TAIF-NK PSC alone within the framework of the municipal campaign Green Shield of Nizhnekamsk. In the spring, the young trees of deciduous and coniferous species were planted on an area of 100 hectares in the sanitary protection zone around the industrial site. in the autumn, the staff of the complex has tripled the result, increasing the area of the “green lungs” of the city by another 200 hectares.

In fairness, it should be noted that other major players of the oil refining and petrochemical complex also actively participated in the campaign. The remedial landscaping was carried out by TANECO, Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC and Nizhnekamsk CHPP (CCGT-1), which are part of TAIF Group. In each case, we are talking about hundreds of hectares, which at this point have already managed to turn into a real young forest.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC: almost 326k trees over 3 years

Over the period from 2011 to 2013, the employees of Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC planted 325,910 trees. This is 88,6 hectares. In 2011, 194,000 pine seedlings appeared in the area of the biological treatment facility (BOS). In 2012, 26,600 spruce saplings graced the territory of Prostinsky rural settlement. And in 2013, more than 116,500 pines, young spruces and deciduous trees were planted in the centre of the Strelochny Log ravine and on the territory of the BOS.

2013 trees for the Universiade

November 2012. Frunze Street in Kazan is buzzing with activity. Through the efforts of employees and management of TAIF PSC and Kazanorgsintez PJSC, 400 young linden trees formed a nice alley. In total over 10 days of the campaign held this autumn, TAIF Group planted 2013 young trees in Kazan — as a symbol of the forthcoming World University Games and just to decorate the capital of the republic and to make it even greener.

By the way, the group of companies purchased tree seedlings and delivered them to all planting sites by its own forces.

2014 — Lebyazhye Lakes and Pine Grove Park

In 2014, TAIF PSC and Kazanorgsintez PJSC undertook a task, which at the initial stage, to be honest, seemed just impossible: the rehabilitation of Lebyazhye Lakes system. Out of three once existed reservoirs at that time, only one left. And even it was getting shallower and overgrown with sludge.

Environmental surveys, the elaboration of the plan of works and the search for drainage solutions, fixing the shape of the lakes’ bed, the source and method of filling with water upon completion — it all took 2 years. In 2016, the project, which has no analogues in the modern history of Russia, moved into the active phase and is currently completed. The beds of the lakes were deepened, equipped with a special three-layer protective screen and filled with water, the banks were put in order. The cost of the complex of works — more than a quarter of a billion rubles. But it was worth it, they believe in TAIF: both the residents of Kazan and the guests of the capital of the republic rest on the banks that have grown nine-fold (!) in the reservoir area.

In 2014, TAIF Group undertook to restore order in the park near the Chemists’ House of Culture. Overgrown, and sometimes dangerously littered with dead and dying trees, the old green island in the city centre has been transformed by 2015. Dangerous trees were carefully removed, and a total of a thousand new trees were planted instead. Neat paths of asphalt and paving stones were laid for more convenient walks in the park. The park was also equipped with street lighting, sports area, a special area for yoga, a children's playground and a quiet family recreation area. The whole complex of works cost TAIF Group more than 120 million rubles. It is no wonder that even residents from other parts of the city come to walk in this park, play sports and just relax.

Thousands of trees, hectares of flower beds

The environmental activity of TAIF Group continues without interruption. In fact, thanks to the efforts of the group's employees, every year in Tatarstan there appears a grove, and sometimes even more than one.

In 2016, on City Day in the petrochemical capital of Tatarstan, Nizhnekamskneftekhim, TAIF-NK, as well as employees of TANECO, Tire Plant and the city hall together planted trees in the yard on Mira Prospekt.

In 2017, exactly by the 50th anniversary of Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC, the grand opening of the renovated square and the Square named after Nikolay Lemaev took place with the participation of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov. TAIF Group allocated 60 million rubles for the landscaping and arrangement of the territory. The green, decorated with lawns with auto watering, shrubs and trees, impressive in its diversity, as well as an interactive fountain, comfortable walking, playing and creative areas, territory has attracted thousands of people every day for the third year in a row.

In the same year and also near Nizhnekamsk, not far from the village of Shingalchi, the team of TAIF Group planted almost 1,500 trees — birches, pines and lindens.

The year 2018: Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov named the area and the slope of the Kazanka embankment near the Kazan NCC (National land Culture Centre) as a priceless gift from TAIF group to the capital of Tatarstan. Almost 31,000 square metres area was cleaned from debris and undergrowth dumped plants. Hundreds of KAMAZ trucks took out the rubbish accumulated over the years and brought rolls of live lawn instead, which soon harmoniously decorated the reinforced and equipped with automatic irrigation system slopes. Now this place, with a magnificent panoramic view of the right bank of the Kazanka River and the Millennium Bridge, as well as convenient alleys and comfortable benches, is one of the popular places for walks and romantic dates. What is especially convenient — you do not need to worry about where to leave the car: many have already appreciated the convenience of the multi-level underground parking built by TAIF PSC and Kazanorgsintez PJSC, designed almost 1,000 cars.

In addition to this project, Kazanorgsintez is a permanent and active participant of the contest Blooming Kazan. In 2018, the petrochemical complex became the winner in the nomination Best Kazan Enterprise in Improvement. Besides, over 6 years, the employees of Kazanorgsintez planted almost 5,000 trees in Kazan alone. Last year, for outstanding economic achievements and active social and environmental position, Kazanorgsintez PJSC was included in the Book of Honour of Kazan.

During the period from 2014 to 2019, Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC planted almost 2 million pieces of seedlings of flowers and bulbs of tulips on the city streets and the territory of the enterprises of the complex itself, 34,2 hectares of areas were sown with perennial grasses. Besides, in 2018, the employees of Nizhnekamskneftekhim became active participants of Green Wave campaign and planted more than 500 firs, pines, lindens, rowans and lilacs on the streets of Nizhnekamsk. In 2019, another 500 trees and shrubs were planted, and in addition, more than a thousand employees of the petrochemical giant went out in their hometown in April to clean up. As a result of the large cleaning, 508 cubic metres of garbage were taken out.

For several years in a row before that, and as it is going to continue for a long time, in early June, the “troop” of employees of AVERS Bank, armed with shovels and watering cans, landed on the territory of the Children's Republican Clinical Hospital. For the leading bank of the republic, it has become a good tradition — on International Children's Day (celebrated on the first day of summer) — to decorate with flowers and ornamental plants the territory in front of one of the largest children's hospitals in Russia, which can simultaneously treat up to 25,000 young patients. The selection of plants is such that they bloom replacing each other, delighting in bright colours until the frost.

In the same way, the annual participation in the environmental two-month event has become a good tradition for the employees of the generating company of TAIF Group — TGC-16 JSC. Hundreds of people gather together to put in order the station area near the Kazan CHPP-3 and Nizhnekamsk CHPP (PTK-1), a large part of the cities themselves, collect garbage, leaves and dry branches, whitewash tree trunks and borders, plant flowers. The result is so impressive so that it has even been highlighted by the mayor's office of the capital of Tatarstan in the framework of the project Blooming Kazan.

The year 2019: Green Wave was launched in Tatarstan again. The employees of TAIF Group companies were among the first to join it again. TAIF-NK PSC’s specialists are going to plant this autumn at least 1,500 trees to those 10,000 that have already been planted over 6 years of participation in this campaign.

“Every year we plant trees with our colleagues,” Kirill Neymenov, an employee of TAIF-NK, told the journalist of Realnoe Vremya. “A large number of industrial enterprises are concentrated outside the city, so we all need to take environmental issues seriously in order to breathe clean air.”

Just two weeks before that, the company's employees helped to clean the Karakul Lake. The team of more than 100 employees came to the shores of the largest lake in Tatarstan. Dozens of bags of household rubbish were collected in a few hours.

The employees of TAIF Group armed themselves with bags on October 5 as well — on Forest Planting Day. In parallel with the planting in the surrounding areas, it was organized garbage collection. Last year, according to the ministry of forestry of the Republic of Tatarstan, more than 1,1 thousand cubic metres of various household rubbish and fallen trees were removed from the forest fund of the republic in just a week, and this is several hundred of KAMAZ-type trucks fully loaded with garbage.