1000 tree Plantation drive kicks off in Kolkata, India

KOLKATA, India - July 24, 2013 - PRLog -- The Lions Clubs International, District 322B1, Kolkata, is supporting the cause and helping plant 1,000 trees (600 neem and 400 fruit trees) in Bidhan Shishu Udyan in Ultadanga, one of Kolkata’s most polluted residential areas.

“We support the Lions Club International’s commitment to the environment and support projects that protect the environment by cleaning the environment, planting trees, recycling and educating others. This plantation initiative at Shishu Udyan is a step in that direction,” says Rama Bhatia, District Governor, Lions Club International, District 322B1, Kolkata

The plantation ceremony will start at 9 am at the Bidhan Shishu Udyan and the event will be attended by SOME NAMES. “Imagine how much greenery 1,000 trees will bring to the park and how they will contribute towards cleaner air in the area,” says S M Devadason of SGI.

That climate change and global warming are having a direct impact on our lives is old news. The devastation from flash-floods, incessant rains and cloud bursts everywhere from Canada to Uttarakhand is proof enough. And it is also known that planting trees is the most respected and sure methods of combating the ills of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide, one of the biggest reasons for global warming and climate change. A tree has the potential to sequester about a tonne of carbon over 50 years. It generates enough oxygen for two human beings for their lifetimes. Which means, the more trees are planted, the better it is for the planet and the humans inhabiting it.

Sustainable Green Initiative (SGI) has taken the methodology of tree plantation a step ahead by implementing tree-planting strategies that also address hunger and poverty in India. The organisation works with the objective of connecting the two sets of dots – the billion who cause climate change and the billion who sleep hungry each night.

For this, SGI partners with NGOs and self-help groups (SHGs) to deploy “Vrikshadoots” at village and block levels to identify farmers and communities who have fallow land or have access/ ownership to community/ forest lands where agro-forestry and fruit, fodder, medicinal or timber tree planting can be undertaken. “Planting a tree is a real bond with our beautiful world,” said Mr Ashish Baral of 2nd Innings Foundation, the trust that will help in the plantation and nurturing drive.

What is, perhaps, SGI’s biggest role in increasing the green cover is to ensure and promise that the saplings are nurtured to become young trees until they are two years old. If not nurtured, saplings have high mortality rates of up to 80 per cent.

As proof of plantation, each sapling is photographed and geo-tagged with the longitude and latitude metadata embedded into a digital image. The image is then uploaded onto a public database and can be viewed on Google Earth or any exif map viewers. The process is repeated every six months for two years.

Lions Clubs International, District 322B1, Kolkata

Lions Club International, District 322B1, Kolkata, is a part of Lions Clubs International under Multiple District 322. Apart from administrative work, the district serves the society by its philanthropic activities through different charitable trusts formed by it.

The Lions Clubs International adopted environmental protection as an official policy in 1972 and as an Adopted Service Programme in 2003.  All Lions Clubs around the world participate in this global effort by activities such as organising a community clean-up project, working with a local forestry department to plant trees in the community, and educating the community about easy eco-friendly practices to adopt in daily life.