ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS & PARTNERSHIPS 8 Environmental Perseverance Oaks After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hancock Whitney Projects and launched the inaugural Perseverance Oaks program with founding partners Mississippi State University and Partnerships The Sun Herald newspaper as well as other participating community partners such as the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain. From reforestation investments in the late 1800s that The ongoing, multifaceted Perseverance Oaks project replenished timberlands critical to the Gulf Coast has helped replenish landscapes scarred by major economy to modern conservation programs, the Hancock storms with offspring of landmark live oaks and other Whitney organization has remained an avid, active live oaks. In the past 15 years, Perseverance Oaks advocate and supporter for preserving and protecting has planted more than 1,000 live oaks in Gulf Coast the region’s natural resources and strengthening communities, helping to preserve the environment while environmental sustainability. propagating a cherished icon of regional heritage, the magnificent live oak. Downtown Green Space COMPONENTS OF PERSEVERANCE OAKS • Reforestation and Conservation – Through the Hancock Whitney Lighthouse Park at Hancock Whitney program, the company and communities it serves Plaza, the company’s corporate headquarters complex replant diminished or destroyed live oak populations in downtown Gulfport, Mississippi, features one of and promote conservation of natural resources. the largest downtown corporate greenspaces in the • Greenspace – Perseverance Oaks plantings help state. The park, which includes numerous design enhance greenspace for environmental and A 17-year-young magnolia tree sits in Hancock Whitney Plaza elements acknowledging Gulf Coast resilience in the community benefits, including neighborhoods, Lighthouse Park in front of Hancock Whitney Plaza, company wake of Hurricane Katrina, provides the community headquarters. The magnolia tree was planted as a magnolia schools, and parks in low- to moderate-income areas. seedling from a local nursery to help replenish trees lost along a 56,000-square-foot open commons centered in an the Mississippi Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Katrina. This tree urban business district. • Air Quality – Trees planted through Perseverance showcases the company’s dedication to our long-term efforts to Oaks help combat the buildup of excess carbon protect and preserve the landscapes in the communities we serve. dioxide caused by climate change. • Education – As part of Perseverance Oaks, Hancock Whitney associates join environmental experts to teach students important financial concepts using nature analogies, impart community history and traditions tied to landmark live oaks and demonstrate environmental sustainability principles through hands-on science lessons.
2022 Hancock Whitney ESG Report Page 7 Page 9