On World Environment Day, June 5, 2024, The Satsang Foundation (TSF) initiated a week-long celebration from June 5-9. This included activities under all its environmental initiatives—MyTree, Satsang Jal Seva Sangatan, My Bhoomi, and the Aviral Godavari Mission. The aim was to emphasize environmental stewardship, community engagement, and empowerment.
MyTree expands its friend circle
Captures the imagination of the young, the old & the environmentally cold
MyTree plantation drives unfolded in Bengaluru, Nagpur, Delhi, and Nashik as volunteers across all age groups worked in unison to create green oases in urban spaces and to revive dwindling natural ecosystems.
The plantation of 1,500 saplings to create an urban dense forest at the Kanakapura Forest Office, near Bengaluru, across approximately 4,500 sq. ft of land was a daunting task. During the first phase of this plantation drive on 25 May 2024, ten days ahead of World Environment Day, volunteers planted 225 saplings of native trees and shrubs like crepe jasmine, jatropha, badami, and sita ashoka. The cynosure of all eyes was a five-year-old budding conservationist who planted the first sapling.
The Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bengaluru was the next venue to welcome 300 saplings of native fruiting and flowering trees planted with much reverence by 16 volunteers in a span of 2.5 hours.
Nagpur was abuzz with a special tree plantation drive organized and carried out by the triad of the TSF, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) at the Children’s Park, RTO Colony in New Manish Nagar.
The MyTree Academy organized workshops across five schools in Nashik – GEMs English Medium School, Delhi Public School, Ashoka Global Academy, Ashoka Universal School (Chandsi), and Ashoka Universal School (Wadala) – on 5 and 6 June, focusing on
- creating future foresters
- promoting Nature conservation
- establishing a legacy for generations
Taking Responsibility: The Brahmagiri & Godavari
Building sapling nurseries and establishing an intimate bond with trees, the children assumed their roles as environmental stewards with aplomb. Reiterating the Aviral Godavari Mission pledge, both teachers and students evinced an interest in maintaining the greenery of the Brahmagiri Mountain, the source of the River Godavari.
The dedicated efforts of the children of Adarsh Vidyalaya, Nashik and women from less privileged local communities for over a month bore fruit in the form of seed balls of native sapling species such as karanj, peepal, banyan, shisham, and amla. On 8 June, ‘hike and plant’ became a mantra as trekkers transformed into planters, carrying these precious seed balls for dispersal on the slopes of Brahmagiri.
Setting the pace for the first phase of the Brahmagiri Ki Haryali, Godavari Ki Pavitrata plantation drives followed near the holy Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh Kunds and Ahilya Dam.
“River Anthem” rings loud & proud
SJSS grooms budding Jal Sevaks in the capital
Braving the intense heat wave in New Delhi, volunteers of the Satsang Jal Seva Sangatan (SJSS) and the Officer-in-Charge of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Schools collaborated to address young children aged between 8-10 years at Utkrisht Primary School and their teachers on 5 June 2024, focusing on global warming and the conservation of water resources.
The “River Anthem” – a video clip presenting the Mission to rejuvenate India’s largest peninsular river, the Godavari was followed by a presentation explaining the nuances of water wastage and conservation in homes and schools. The children then took the Jal Seva pledge, vowing to join forces with the SJSS Jal Sevaks across the country.
Brahmagiri decks up for Nashik Kumbh 2027, and not a trace of plastic this time
Come 2027 and Nashik shall open its gateways to a plastic-waste free Kumbh Mela!
The Satsang Foundation’s My Bhoomi initiative has garnered ample support from local volunteers in Nashik. The My Bhoomi volunteers helped distribute 50 new waste bins to shopkeepers and local communities on Brahmagiri mountain alongwith Bhoomi Bags – a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bags. Made from 100% compostable bioplastics and primarily derived from corn starch, these eco-friendly bags received official consent for widespread usage in Trimbak, to ensure a pristine, plastic-waste free Brahmagiri.
The plogging drives held on 8 and 9 June were witness to the concerted efforts of My Bhoomi volunteers, Namami Goda Foundation volunteers, the enthusiastic ploggers of Vrukshit Foundation and Elite Club, and local volunteers to clean up Brahmagiri. The newly-installed plastic bins served their purpose perfectly!
My Bhoomi and SagarMitra Abhiyaan
Handing down the wisdom, initiating a land & sea change
A series of webinars and online sensitization programs organized in collaboration with the SagarMitra Abhiyaan for the educationists of the Salesian Sisters and the young ploggers of Vrukshit Foundation and Elite Club paved the way for mindful plastic-waste management practices. Dr. Vinod Bodhankar, Joint Director of SagarMitra Abhiyaan, highlighted the vital role of the green phytoplankton forests in the sustenance of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems, emphasizing harmonious coexistence and collective responsibility.
You too can be part of our environment initiatives to help resuscitate Mother Earth!
Please write to us at connect@satsang-foundation.org or visit our website to know more.
