Isha Foundation’s ‘Project GreenHands’ on Monday launched the planting season for 2017-18.
Organisers said that over 35 nurseries have been established across the Tamil Nadu to nurture 40 lakh saplings that would distributed all over Tamil Nadu and Pudhucherry .
Isha’s nursery in Coimbatore has taken up a target of distributing 1.5 lakh saplings this year.
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In the event held at Coimbatore Institute of Technology on the occasion of World Environment Day, saplings were planted to mark the launch of the drive. According to organisers, similar launch functions were held in 18 other districts across the State.
Cleaning drive on Velliangiri Hills
Thenkailaya Bhakti Iyakkam, a devotional movement, on Monday conducted a cleaning drive on the first two hills of Velliangiri Hills as part World Environment Day celebration.
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Around 50 volunteers from Chennai, Madurai, Vellore, Trichy, Bangalore, Pollachi, Chidambaram and other towns took part in the cleaning drive.
Around 90 students also joined the volunteers in the drive. The volunteers cleared 700 kg of non-degradable garbage such as plastic covers, water bottles, and wrappers from the two hills.
Organisers said volunteers would continue the cleaning drive on June 11, 18 and 25.
Awareness drive
City-based environmental NGO Nature Conservation Society (NCS) on Monday conducted an awareness drive in public places on the importance of conserving existing green cover and raising more trees.
NCS president N.I. Jalaluddin said that pamphlets and notices on protecting environment were distributed to people at Ukkadam bus stand, Gandhipuram bus stand, railway station and other public places.
At Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), a sapling planting drive was held under the leadership of Field Director V. Ganesan at Topslip. Senior officials of ATR and Forest Department staff took part in the drive.
Several schools, companies and private establishments also conducted distribution and planting of saplings as part of World Environment Day.
Udhagamandalam
Staff Reporter adds:
The C.P.R Environmental Education Center in Ooty, in association with the National Green Corps in the Nilgiris, organised an event at Davis Park in Ooty. Based on the theme “Connecting people to nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator,” scientists and environmentalists spoke on a variety of topics, including climate change and the role of invasive species in leading to biodiversity loss.
Dr. S. Rajan, Scientist, Field Botanist, Ministry of AYUSH, inaugurated the event, and spoke about the negative effects of invasive species of flora such as eucalyptus, lantana and scotch broom on local biodiversity.
M. Kumaravelu, Field Officer from the CPREEC, said that only four % of the forests in India served as oxygen, water and gene banks and added that future generations will be seriously impacted if they were not protected.
After the event, students from the Government Higher Secondary School in Gudalur and volunteers of the National Green Corps, removed exotic plant species from the Davis Park, and also helped clean up the place.
Awareness rally
Members of the ‘Namma Ooty’ campaign along with school students and staff members staged an awareness rally to commemorate ‘World Environment Day’ and create awareness on the dangers of throwing garbage into storm water drains, especially into Kodappamund Channel. The awareness rally started at the Kodappamund Bridge, marched through Garden Road and Uzhavar Santhai, past Ettines Road, Greenfields, Commercial Road, Main Market and up to the bridge near the Ooty Bus Stand. The route was planned to mimic the serpentine flow of the Kodappamund Channel.