Reviving the city that was

Isn’t it ironic that Bangalore, the Garden City is now losing its trees?

An increase in noise and air pollution, a rise in global warming and development of infrastructure has all resulted in this. But although the government has approved of sacrificing greenery for rail, citizens and organisations are taking initiatives to not only preserve our trees but also increase the number of trees in the city.

Trees for Free, an organisation begun in 2005 in order to make a difference in the city, is now a playing a major role as the city’s greenery deteriorates.

“The members not only plant a number of saplings a week, but also help in maintaining the website, sending mailers and updating work. We have a lot of members from the IT sector. For every three ‘Trees for Free’ T-shirts we sell, one tree is planted. Volunteers generally plant them even in my absence,” says Janet Yegneswaran, president of Trees for Free. Members have meetings once a month which volunteers attend as per convenience. There is no compulsion in the amount of work one has to do.

“Various corporate companies are providing tremendous support by planting saplings around their offices. The media has been helping us in terms of publicity and awareness. Recently, we planted around 1000 saplings on Tumkur road which are coming up nicely and we are going to plant still more there,” adds Yegneswaran.

Subha BR, a volunteer for five months, says, “Volunteers plant saplings in residential areas where they will be looked after. Even in jungles, where water is not a problem, we plant saplings. We raise awareness by planting as many saplings as possible in an area and by maintaining the website. On an average, 20 to 30 saplings are planted in a week.”
 
Planting trees and preserving the environment is a passion and a priority for many as it brings harmony to them. “When I am planting a tree, it gives peace to feel that I am contributing towards saving the earth. It is an act of human kindness and gives me contentment every time,” says David Selvaraj, a volunteer for the fourth year. He adds, “My family and friends know that I am a zealous volunteer and every time they see an empty road or area they inform me. We immediately plant saplings there. We talk to friends, neighbours, schools and colleges and often put up stalls in different places to raise awareness.”

Besides planting saplings, members can also contribute by raising funds, giving presentations in companies on global warming and preserving nature. “I have been a volunteer for around ten months now. The number of members has increased significantly over the past few months. Apart from planting, I contribute towards updating the website, uploading photos, collecting funds from companies and give presentations to increase responsiveness. When we give presentations in schools, we receive calls from parents saying they want saplings planted in their neighbourhood. If we don’t give saplings at stalls, there will be no initiatives taken by others,” says Salil Singla.

Vinod Lal, who works with an advertising agency, says, “As I am working with an advertising agency, along with my team, we helped create the website. The agency supports in any way they can with the blog, posters, logos, etc. Trees for Free has won the gold award in Miami for the Best Design. We have planted a total of 11,500 trees since 2005. Our approach is different. We make sure the trees are planted properly into the ground as this increases the survival ratio. This causes a huge impact on the  growth of the trees,” informs Vinod.

With so many old trees being cut down, there are still ways to continue preserving Bangalore’s awareness.