The transformation is not just in the name of Cresol Transformação (Cresol Transformation, in english), a credit union present in cities in Santa Catarina and Minas Gerais, which works to make communities more sustainable and aware of the importance of preserving the environment.

In this context, the Cresol Transformação teams and the communities neighboring the cooperative promoted, in 2023, the cooperation journey called the “Cooperation Action for the Environment”.

“This is an initiative to promote awareness among both employees and communities about the environment. Therefore, starting from Environment Week and for a month, several activities were proposed so that the teams from the agencies where Cresol Transformação is located could engage in necessary causes and actions”, explains Rubens Staloch, who works in the department of membership relations.

A cascade of sustainability

The Environmental Cooperation Action led by Cresol Transformação aims to raise awareness among employees and communities about the environment and encourage changes in practices and habits in favor of a more sustainable future. This was done through a series of activities, such as:

• Reduction in the use of disposable cups;
• Delivery of seedlings to members;
• Planting of native tree seedlings by employees and the community;
• Posting sustainable tips on social media;
• Carrying out an ecological walk;
• Carrying out tree planting on public or school property;
• Carrying out environmental education workshops in schools;
• Collection of donations/materials as needed by the municipality;
• Holding a day of actions aimed at cooperation.

Nine municipalities were within the scope of the Environmental Cooperation Action: Dona Emma; Ibirama; Mirim Doce; Presidente Getúlio; Taió; Olhota; and Gaspar, in Santa Catarina, as well as Curvelo and Morada Nova, in Minas Gerais. The project planning took into account the needs of each location, which hosted specific activities according to their reality.

The agencies were awarded according to the actions carried out in accordance with a regulation that aimed to encourage activities.

Impacts and results

Cresol Transformação estimates that more than 1,000 people were directly impacted by the activities carried out during the Environmental Cooperation Action. More than 200 trees were planted and many others were given to members.

Education was an important part of the initiative. Ecological walks were carried out with local schools, teaching about the environment from an early age. The schools also received environmental education workshops.

“Certainly, the biggest impact on the environment is in raising awareness among those who participated in the action, keeping them alert about the importance of changing practices, even small, everyday ones like using reusable cups instead of disposable ones. Furthermore, we can directly mention the planting of trees in the communities and properties of members”, says Staloch to Cooperação Ambiental.

“In terms of the social aspect, the main social impact of the initiative is the contribution to reflections on the environment and from these, encouraging changes in practices, providing opportunities for improvements to the quality of life on the planet, because, when we join forces, the results tend to be maximized”, he concludes.