The tree planting campaign of 40 lakhs saplings for the year 2017-18 by Project Green Hands, an Isha Foundation initiative has commenced on World Environmental Day.
Chellamuthu President of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association who inaugurated the campaign in the city, while addressing the students said "We all should work together to make our planet a better place to live in. It all starts by keeping our surrounding clean which each individual has to do.
Till date we have witnessed many political parties planting lakhs of saplings on their leader’s birthdays. If they had really planted the tree, they claim they did, we would not be staring at a massive drought situation. To avoid withering away of sapling, Isha Project Green Hands have engaged farmers for tending of saplings in Coimbatore,” Chellamuthu said.
“It was youth force, which made the government to lift the ban on Jallikattu and the Central Government was forced to change their decision. So if you students take up this cause and decide to plant and nurture saplings you can plant more than 40 lakh saplings all over Tamilnadu” he said.
The depletion of ozone layer has contributed for global warming only a person who plants a tree can contribute towards closing the hole in Ozone layer. For every occasion in your life plant a tree. This will help in increasing the green cover across the world and enable us to lead a healthy life."
Chellamuthu launched the tree plantation season in Coimbatore by planting a sapling in the CIT campus. All the students of the college were given plant saplings. Famous Writer Thurman Nambe. Principal of Coimbatore Institute of Technology Dr.V.Selladurai, Isha Yoga volunteers took part.
The tree planting would be taken up in all the districts including Coimbatore, Pollachi, Tiruchy, Velur, Madurai, Karur, and Thanjavur.
In 2006, a Guinness record was set when 8,52,587 sapling were planted by 2.5 lakh volunteers. The project was also awarded Paryavaran award for creating social forestry by the Central Government.