Be it our work or family, it is not often that our busy schedules leave us with enough time to do something positive for our environment. And the fact that we live in concrete jungles does not allow us much scope in creating an impact either. So how about an opportunity that lets you contribute to our planet’s green cover without moving from your desktop? Project Green Hands (PGH) is offering just that.
On the occasion of the 40th World Environment Day (WED) this June 5, PGH, a green drive by Isha Foundation, is launching an extensive campaign which allows individuals to make a virtual effort at increasing the country’s green cover at a minimal cost of `100. While volunteers purchase the plant online, PGH will plant a sapling and maintain it for two years, till about the time the plant becomes self-sustainable. Taking full responsibility for the plant’s well-being, PGH will also sow another sapling in case the plant dries up.
An important feature of this campaign is its tracking system developed in association with Google. Each donation will receive a tree certificate through e-mail that will have a tracking ID. This allows the donor to see the exact GPS coordinates of the plant and the name and address of the farmer who is growing it. The plants can be viewed on Google Earth as well.
PGH is the brain-child of Isha foundation, a non-profit spiritual organisation based in Coimbatore which has been working for ‘human well-being through yoga’ under the leadership of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Anand Ethirajalu, a member of Isha Foundation and PGH’s head says, “Sadhguru believes that yoga cannot take precedence in the lives of people who are suffering from hunger or disease and hence, we need to provide the basic facilities before taking the spiritual path.” It is this idea that led to the set up of PGH which has been working in many parts of the country since 2004. The project has planted over 17 million saplings till date through their projects Trees for All, Green School Movement and Trees for Life and currently has the capacity to plant about five million trees per year. PGH also holds the Guinness world record for planting maximum saplings (8,52,587) in a single day in 2008 and won its founder the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar in 2010.
Their pilot WED campaign was started in 2012 and had participation from cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru and also parts of the United Kingdom, United States of America and Singapore as well. About 3500 people came forward to plant around 50,000 saplings. “This year, PGH is looking to spread to all the major cities in India along with areas abroad where there is a good Isha presence,” says Archana Anand, a volunteer at Isha Foundation and PGH.
Though this year’s campaign is aiming at creating a nation-wide participation, its base will be in Tamil Nadu and the saplings will be planted in the districts of Coimbatore, Selum, Cuddalore, Tirunelveli and Pudukkottai. Anand says, “We have a large grass-root level volunteer base in Tamil Nadu which reduces the cost since we don’t have to buy man-power. It also makes the project effective. Yet, we will not be restricting ourselves and will try spreading to other places as well.”
While working towards a greener planet, PGH is also actively involved in promoting agro-forestry among farmers. Through the WED campaign too, a variety of fruit bearing, fodder, timber and fire-wood trees are being planted, which act as a source of additional income for the farmers besides being environment friendly. “During erratic downpours, farmers lose all their agricultural cultivation. These plants can help them during that time as they can sell their fruits or timber. We believe this will also help in bringing down the suicide rates in farmers,” says Anand.
So if taking time off everyday to nurture your pot plants or the tree outside your house is not logistically possible for you, then try adopting a sapling instead. The PGH website also allows you to start your own campaign through which one can spread awareness among friends and family using e-flyers. The campaign mainly encourages corporate companies to start campaigns and orient their employees to contribute to the cause.
The six-month campaign will aim at planting trees around the time of this year’s monsoon and will allow you to track the plants from January 1, 2014.
Details: projectgreenhands.org; 094425 90081