The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.
– Chinese Proverb
By Bhavani Prakash
What is this life if full of care, we have no time to plant a single tree?
And what better way to express our gratitude to Mother Nature, compensate for our heavy footprint, and restore the land for generations to come, than to plant a tree? He who plants a tree, as Lucy Larcom the 19th century poet said, plants hope. He plants a joy, he plants peace, he plants youth, and he plants love.
Today, 5th June 2012 is World Environment Day and we take this opportunity to pledge our support to Project Green Hands, an inspiring grassroots initiative of the not-for-profit organisation, Isha Foundation. Its ambitious mission is to restore the green cover in Tamil Nadu, India to 33% by planting 114 million trees.
The programme was lauched in 2004 on World Environment Day, and has enabled the planting till date of more than 14 million saplings in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, with the help of more than 1.5 million volunteers.
In 2010, Project Green Hands (PGH) won a national award in India, the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar award in recognition of its efforts to create environmental awareness and reverse ecological degradation. PGH also has a Guinness World Record of planting most number of saplings in three days: 8,52,587.
Listen to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Founder of Isha Foundation, share his thoughts about Project Green Hands and the urgent need to reforest the earth.
Video link here
A single sapling costs only Indian Rupees 50 (less than 1 USD and just over 1 Singapore dollar). Every little counts by way of your contribution.
By donating just Indian Rupees 50 per sapling through giveisha.org/pgh Project Green Hands (PGH) will plant trees on your behalf in Tamil Nadu, India. The saplings will be provided to farmers for planting in their farmlands. PGH tracks the exact location of their trees and the details of the farmer who will plant and take care of it.
Project Green Hands hopes to plant 300,000 trees for World Environment Day 2012. The World Environment Day campaign will run for June and part of July 2012. PGH continues beyond that period to achieve its larger objective of planting 6 million saplings in 2012.
Your help to spread the word, and contribution, however small, really matters in achieving these goals to reforest Tamil Nadu.
FAQs (as provided by Project Green Hands of Isha Foundation)
1. What is Give Isha?
GIVE ISHA is an online fundraising portal through which people can support for Isha Foundation’s social initiatives in Education – Isha Vidya, Health – Action for Rural Rejuvenation and Environment – Project GreenHands.
The featured project currently on Give Isha is:
World Environment Day campaign – Project GreenHands
2. Who plants the trees and where are they planted?
PGH is providing trees to farmers for planting in their farmlands. PGH has been working with farmers in Pudukottai, Erode, Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu.
3. How can trees be tracked?
While taking saplings from PGH, the farmer has to register his name, contact details and location. This is stored in the PGH database. After the plantation is done, a survey will be carried out by PGH to confirm whether the saplings have been planted. So when an individual donates for a tree, he will be assigned a tree from the PGH database.
4. Will we get anything if we donate?
Once you make a donation, you will get an email with tree certificate indicating the total number of trees planted by you.
5. How can we donate?
You can donate online: log on to giveisha.org/pgh and offline: or send an Indian Rupee DD/ Cheque drawn in the favour of “ Isha Outreach” to Project GreenHands , Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, Semmedu post, Coimbatore – 641114.
6. How much is the minimum donation?
One Sapling: Indian Rupees 50/- (about 1 Dollar)
7. After I donate, what is the next step? How do I know what is happening and when the sapling planted?
Once you make a donation, you will get an email with tree certificate indicating the total number of trees planted by you. A tree tracking code will be specified on the certificate. Using this code you can track your tree starting Jan 1st 2013, on projectgreenhands.org/track
8. Why this time gap – why can’t I track the tree immediately?
The planting season begins in the month of September and trees can be planted till December. After the plantation is done, a survey will be carried out by PGH to confirm where the saplings have been planted. After which each donor will be assigned a tree from PGH’s database.
9. If I donate at separate occasions, will I get different certificates? Can I have it in the name of someone other than me?
Yes, you will get a different tree certificate each time you make a donation. If you want the certificate in someone else’s name, please fill in their particulars in the Donor details.
10. Are there any centers/stalls where something is set up for this campaign? If so, where?
No, the donation can be done only Online or a DD/ Cheque needs to be sent to PGH directly.
11. As someone who has donated and is interested in this campaign, how can I help? What can I do?
- Many people may get inspired just by seeing your enthusiasm for the project. Spreading the word is the most important help you can do to us. You can take the message to all your friends and relatives by send them emails and videos, sharing on facebook, twitter and other social media.
- Create your own campaign page on the Give Isha site and get all your colleagues and friends to join you.
- You could also like the PGH Facebook page
About the Writer:
Bhavani Prakash is the Founder of Eco WALK the Talk .com. She is a sustainability speaker, trainer and writer can be contacted at bhavani[at]ecowalkthetalk.com. Follow Eco WALK the Talk on Facebook, Twitter, Linked IN and YouTube
