
CHENNAI: Forest fires, gas leaks, heatwaves, and landslides — news of climate-related inundate the news as garbage dumps grow and plastic continues to clog the oceans. In India’s climate policy, the country has ambitiously set a net zero target to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2070. As governments race against time and societies gear up towards battling the crisis, a question persists: what can we do on an individual level? In Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri, Aadavi, a two-year-old carbon-neutral baby, the state’s first, may hold some answers for the future.
In 2021, Dinesh SP and Janaganandhini were at the drawing board, conscious of the concerns of the environment, and calculating the child’s potential carbon emission accounting for transport, energy, and other factors. “Till she is in this world, whatever emission she has, the equal amounts of carbon will be off-set by these trees,” explains Dinesh.
As a project associate at the Indian Institute Of Technology–Madras (IIT–Madras), working with renewable energy, the climate question loomed over him. He laughed, “I used to be the guy who used to emit a lot of carbon.” Today, Aadavi, was recognised by the Asia Book of Record and was appointed the ‘Child Ambassador’ of Green Mission by the Tamil Nadu government.
Green thumb origins
As the well-used adage goes, we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. In the spirit of wishing for a better, sustainable, and greener environment, the parents sought land to plant trees. “My wife belongs to a village inside a reserve forest in Krishnagiri, and after going there, I was inspired by nature. As trees absorb carbon and emit oxygen, we decided to go towards the agroforestry model and plant trees in farmlands with a multi-cropping system,” he explains.
In Janaganandhini’s town, they planted over 6,000 trees — 70% fruit species and 30% timber species. Soon, their landscape blossomed with mango, chembakam, guava, lemon teak and other varieties. “We wanted to plant native breeds. Everything is indigenous and we don’t plant invasive species, we wanted to bring back the native trees of Tamil Nadu,” highlights Dinesh, adding they began an NGO called Seerakku (Regulate), which focuses on a sustainable legacy.
As part of Seerakku, they have planted four lakh trees, with three lakh in agroforestry models, over the past two years. Another one lakh was planted in urban forests, in areas in the city including Perungudi, Kolathur, and Ambattur.
However, he acknowledges, a majority of carbon emissions are from industrialisation and government bodies, beyond individual control. He hopes “people will see our change and ask questions, it might cause a ripple effect.” At a home level, Dinesh comments that small changes are crucial and very much within reach; his family has shifted to solar electricity, carrying around steel water bottles, using composting methods, and reduced purchasing items like mobiles or gadgets.
The NGO’s next mission is to plant a million palm farms. Palm seeds will strengthen the soil, increase the water table, boost the livelihood of villages, and create income, explains Dinesh. “We need to educate people, and they don’t know they are spoiling the climate. Every individual is responsible for making the planet better for the next generation,” he signs off.
Sustainable goals
Seerakku’s initiatives focus on tree planting, water restoration, afforestation, coastal plantation, and agroforestry, working towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. They strive to create a sustainable future for all and mitigate the effects of climate change.