Life, health and wellbeing insurer joins Tim Jarvis AM in fight against climate emergency 

Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia Taking another step in its mission to make Australia the  healthiest and best protected nation in the world, AIA Australia has hosted a tree-planting working bee ahead  of National Tree Day in partnership with The Forktree Project – a not-for-profit biodiversity initiative founded by  environmental scientist, Tim Jarvis AM.  

Hosted on the site of a former degraded 133-acre former pastoral property on the Fleurieu Peninsula, CEO of  AIA Australia, Damien Mu, joined Mr Jarvis, an AIA Vitality Ambassador, and other guests for a day of  rewilding.  

The Forktree Project was founded in 2019 and in recent years its vision has started to come to life. In  undertaking the re-establishment of tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs on the property, Mr Jarvis  hopes to sequester thousands of tonnes of carbon and encourage the return of native animals, birds and  insects to the property. 

AIA Australia’s partnership with The Forktree Project commenced in 2021 after the insurer became inspired by  the valuable work taking place on the property. Mr Jarvis has since supported AIA in its efforts to highlight the  vital need to improve the health of the environment – a key risk factor impacting human health. 

In July 2022, AIA Australia released its report ‘The Environment and our Health’ which expanded upon its  5590+ report and addresses the intrinsic link between human wellbeing and the health of the environment.  The report has called for a focus on both individual actions and collective efforts that can bring about positive  environmental change.  

Globally, 12 million deaths (almost a quarter of all annual deaths) are linked to the environment. Nearly two thirds of these are linked to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, respiratory and  heart diseases and mental ill-health. Environmental factors such as climate change, air pollution and food  production are risk factors for NCDs which cause over 90 per cent of mostly preventable deaths in Australia  each year.  

Based on the estimation that planting one trillion trees globally could arrest the effects of climate change, and  with Australia constituting one of six nations that represent 50 percent of the reforestation opportunity, Mr Mu, said tree planting was an important partof the insurer’s local Environmental, Social and Governance strategy. 

“At AIA Australia we’re committed to helping people live healthier, longer, better lives. As a life and health  insurer, we’re concerned about the prevalence of chronic health conditions and their impact on our customers  and the broader community.  

“While awareness of climate change is increasing, the link between the environment and our health needs  further attention. We’re determined to highlight this connection and help our society rethink how it interacts  with the environment, for the better. 

“Our partnership with The Forktree Project is a tangible way of bringing our shared value vision to life. By  supporting this incredible charity, we hope to educate and encourage all Australians to focus on the small  ‘somethings’ they can do for the benefit of our environment.”  

AIA Vitality Ambassador and environmentalist, Mr Jarvis echoed Mr Mu’s comments and said that partnering  with organisations like AIA was critical in furthering pragmatic solutions to major environmental issues related  to climate change and biodiversity loss.

“The Forktree Project involves reforesting an area of degraded farmland to show what is possible in terms of  land restoration and carbon offsetting and ultimately how powerful collective action can be,” said Jarvis. 

“Our mission is not only to plant trees, but to educate Australians about how a sustainable life can benefit the  environment. I’m pleased that through my role as an AIA Vitality Ambassador, I can also highlight how this  links to the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.” he added.  

Members of AIA’s health and wellbeing platform, AIA Vitality can donate directly to The Forktree Project on a  weekly basis using their $5 Active Benefits rewards. Donations from AIA Vitality members, as well as AIA  Australia, have contributed to the planting of thousands of trees on the property ‒ a testament to what can be  achieved by a group of like-minded and passionate people.  

For cover that cares about you and the things you care about, members who join AIA Health Insurance  between 1-31st August 2022 will receive a premium refund and can have a donation made to The Forktree  Project on their behalf.  

*Members who join AIA Health on an eligible combined Hospital and Extras policy before 31 August 2022 will receive a 4-week premium  refund from 31 November. And as part of our ongoing commitment to giving back to the community, we’ll donate 2-weeks’ worth of their  insurance premiums to their choice of one of the following charities – Black Dog Institute, Cancer Council, Diabetes Australia and  Forktree. Terms and conditions apply.