The launch of the ambitious campaign for planting four-and-a-half lakh saplings in the district under the afforestation programme of the Haritha Keralam project marked the World Environment Day celebrations here on Monday.
M. Swaraj, MLA, inaugurated the district-level launch of the programme at Edakochi. The saplings will be provided by forest, environment, and agriculture departments.
Vanamithra Award
Actor Nivin Pauly; John Fernandez, MLA; District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla, and former Minister Binoy Viswam were present. Nivin Pauly later presented the Vanamithra Award for 2016 to St. Paul’s College.
An environment awareness procession was also taken out by students on the occasion.
Mr. Safirulla inaugurated the celebrations organised by District Tourism Promotion Council by planting the sapling of an Asoka tree.
Mayor Soumini Jain inaugurated the Environment Day celebrations organised by the National Urban Health Mission at the primary health centre at Thammanam. Speaking on the occasion, she attributed waterlogging and flooding to anti-environment activities. Saplings were also planted on the health centre premises.
District Panchayat President Abdul Muthalib said the Literacy Mission Authority would plant 10,000 saplings in the district.
He was inaugurating the district-level Environment Day celebrations and planting of saplings organised by the mission at Borstal school at Kakkanad.
The Association of Approved and Classified Hotels of Kerala under Agenda 9, a responsible tourism initiative of the Kerala Travel Mart, launched its ‘Refuse the Straw’ campaign on Monday. The association said over 500 million plastic straws were being dumped across the country a day, and that only a fraction of it got recycled.
Green Drive
V.P. Sajeendran, MLA, inaugurated ‘Green Drive 2017’ organised by Kochi Refinery (KR) at Ambalamugal. As many as 25,000 saplings will be planted on the refinery premises under the programme.
Thrikkakara Residents’ Association Apex Council (TRAAC) wrapped up its week-long Environment Day celebrations. P.T. Thomas, MLA, planted the last of the 1,001 mango tree saplings at Government LP School, Thrikkakara, on the occasion.
Baju George, CEO, SmartCity Kochi, planted a sapling at a project site at Kakkanad.
Literary critic M. Leelavathy urged the young generation to take up the mission of turning Kerala green. She was speaking after inaugurating the Environment Day celebrations organised by the Kerala Media Academy.
Vice-Chancellor Rose Varghese led the Environment Day celebrations at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies. As many as 500 saplings were planted on the campus.
Saplings were also planted at the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, under the aegis of the National Service Scheme. Pro Vice Chancellor Darmaraj Adat inaugurated the celebrations.
Numerous other organisations organised programmes to mark the Day.
