June 5, World Environment Day is special for Project GreenHands because every year, the planting season is officially launched on this day.

This year World Environment Day celebrations happened in 26 centres across Tamil Nadu with different activities such as rallies, plantation drives, and awareness drives. Children were also made an active part of the festivities by arranging quiz competitions and skits in schools.

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More than 100,000 people across the state were part of the celebrations.

Three new nurseries were inaugurated in Palladam, Madagadipet and Srivalliputhur with a target of raising 100,000 saplings each. Green School Movements were inaugurated in Erode and Krishnagiri districts where nearly 500 schools have committed to produce and plant saplings involving 25,000 school children. Another 500 schools from three districts are signed up to participate in the planting for a total of over 2 million trees in the next one year. Last year over 1 million saplings were planted through the Green School Movements in Erode and Coimbatore. The planting season this year was launched by distributing more than 14,000 saplings to the general public.

This June, the World Environment Day campaign is the featured project on Isha’s fund raising portal. Many corporates in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai have join hands with us and created a campaign page in their name. They have circulated e-mails, posted e-flyers on their intranet and some of them have put up stalls to motivate their employees to plant trees.

Apart from corporates, more than 150 people have created a campaign page in their name and are actively promoting their page through facebook and social media. A fantastic example of individuals doing their best is Tina, an Isha volunteer from Lebanon who set a target of 2,000 trees and has managed to raise funds for 3600 trees in just a few days!!

A volunteer shares “Being part of this campaign has been an incredible experience. I have never been able to ask anyone for help. But when I understood that these trees are saving not just the environment but also a farmer’s life I knew I had to overcome my hesitation. Once I realized that, it became amazingly easy. I got in touch with friends whom I have not contacted in the last 2 years and asked them to plant trees by joining the campaign.”

Through our online campaign, we have raised funds for over 20,000 trees. Our target is to plant 400,000 trees this year. The campaign is still on, so if you haven’t gotten your hands green, now’s the time!

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