These participants were identified as HSBC Climate Champions--employees who have demonstrated their dedication to taking action on climate change, and have committed to become leaders in HSBC's effort to address the causes and effects of climate change. Each day, different Climate Champions provided updates of their daily activities, as well as their learnings and discussions related to taking action on climate change.
Hilary Bouchard
The abundance of daffodils and budding trees has provided a welcome contrast to extended wintry conditions of Illinois. I am very much looking forward to getting to know these woods, as well as the diverse lot of colleagues and scientists gathered here. Wish you were here!
John Camp
Today we got a very good overview of the program from Lead Scientist Jess Parker. Essentially, we will be working within designated areas in the forest and performing measures which will be used to develop the long-term trend of how different types of forests can process carbon. We reviewed and practiced different measurement techniques, including measuring the diameter of trees, as well as cataloging the relative growth prospects of the tree based on how much of its canopy is directly exposed to sunlight (as opposed to shaded by other trees). Tomorrow, we will be out in the forest performing the actual measurements.
There is a good team of people here, including HSBC – North America employees from all over the USA and Canada, as well as the dedicated scientists who are showing us the ropes.
Michael Dimond
Our adventure begins! Our location is quite beautiful and full of birds (and coming from the Pacific Northwest, I have high standards). Apparently, this area is on the migratory routes for many types of birds. As a result, the early mornings and evenings are filled with bird calls. This area close to Chesapeake Bay is unusual--having forest, shore, salt marshes and other distinct environments.
Our briefing before going into the field included lots of safety instructions, including a discussion of ticks. It’s still a little cool outside for ticks to be active, but nonetheless, one decided to try to get to know me better than I liked. I guess it’s just my animal magnetism…
Mire Levy
While our first day was all about settling down and getting to know the surroundings, today we got into the nitty-gritty of the field work. We received our bright orange field vests and starting to practice measuring trees. Some of us were literary hugging the trees trying to wrap the tape around the trunk! The sky tried to open up on us throughout the morning when Lead Scientist Jess was giving us the tour of the field. But as one of my fellow Climate Champions said: Walking in the woods in the rain beats sitting in the office on a sunny day. The weather seems to be just as unpredictable here as it is in Pacific Northwest--where I come from--but I am looking forward to working in the field all day tomorrow.
Srikanth Palem 
Today kicked off with a brief talk by Lead Scientist Jess and his team explaining their involvement at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). We went out for a quick tour and Q&A of SERC facilities and their labs. It’s been an incredible experience so far, meeting my colleagues and our amazing hosts. We’ve been focusing most of the time on getting up to speed with the whole experiment that Jess is heading up and what we will be doing in the field for the next two weeks.
We had some very involved evening sessions for the past two days, brainstorming around HSBC’s stance on the HSBC Climate Partnership and what our roles will be. We’ve made some good strides so far, and I hope to share more of that in my future postings.
Sabrina Spencer
Today was our first official day of tree-hugging—literally--as we were practicing taking tree measurements. I think many of us started off the day by thinking “I have no idea what I’m doing,” but the Earthwatch team is incredible. By the end of the day, we were all accomplished tree measurers.
Today we also had out first tick experiences in the group and I couldn’t help thinking--did we sign up for this when we became bankers? The answer is: absolutely not, but I know that no one here is even thinking of throwing in the towel. We have an amazing wealth of experience and passion for the environment here and I’m sure that after two weeks here, we’ll be ready to take on the world!
Richard Szafarz
Today, the scientists took us into the woods to give us an orientation of the forest and provided us with some basic training. During the orientation of the forest trees, they showed us the seed pods for two of the main trees in the area, the sweet gum and tulip poplar. The pods for the sweet gum are littered all over the forest floor and along the trails and roads. They look like little balls with spikes sticking out of them. The tulip poplar seed pods are a bit harder to find. Their pods look like little brown tulips.
As a side note, we were all amazed with the abundance of wildlife in the surrounding area. Earlier this morning, a member of the team saw a red fox while taking a walk. On one of my day hikes, I saw a few ospreys and some bluebirds. Many of the migratory birds are passing through the area this week, so we should be able to see quite a selection of birds.
Sara Tahvildari
Sporting neon orange vests, avoiding poison ivy, measuring trees, pulling ticks off my body?? All in the day of the Climate Champion. Day One has been an eye opener to how our two weeks will be shaping up. The Earthwatch and SERC team have been great at leading us through safety and understanding the work that is to be completed on our stay here. Our work in the field and exposure to the team here is leading many of us to open our minds to new ideas and perspective on the environment and how we run our business units. I am looking forward to picking the brains of my colleagues on their involvement in their local units on how they currently are and planning to continue this initiative.
Jane Vohwinkel
I’m here in beautiful Edgewater, Maryland, with the most awesome team. What a wealth of knowledge and experience they bring to the table! Spent last evening sharing our individual motivations for applying for the Climate Champion role, which provided considerable insight into how we might use our individual talents and passions to achieve the common objective of sustaining our planet today and for future generations. This morning, we took our first “hike” (OK… we didn’t go that far) into the woods and were introduced to one of the plots we will be working on as well as some of the “tools of the trade.” We also had a great intro from the head researcher on the overall project and some of the tasks that we will be performing. Finally got the low-down on the poison ivy and tick situation. More to come… let the adventure begin!
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