My Environment - My Responsibility!

The group of local women Shanti Ama Samuha had the commitment to maintain greenery in their surrounding environment within the program "Women Awareness Program on Climate Change and Solid Waste Management" organized by Tunza Eco Generation, a month ago in Bharatpur, Nepal.

Due to the well accomplishment of the program, these women not only did they arouse local community’s awareness on environmental conservation, but also raised their interest in planting trees around a cultural heritage and a roadside lying nearby their residential area.

Deforestation has become one of the human ‘favorite’ activities to extract the assorted needs. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2013 an estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest are lost each year, what has been playing a considerable role in greenhouse gasses emissions (12-17%). Regarding Nepal, about 25% of the population is under poverty line and around 70% has dependency on the forest to survive.

"Tree Plantation Program"

In order to face the need of forestation to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions and even an interest of local people in Bharatpur to maintain greenery, Clean Up Nepal- Chitwan organized a "Tree Plantation Program" on the 2^nd of August, 2014. This event was conducted in collaboration with different organizations like Shanti Ama Samuha, Private Sanitation Office Bharatpur, Tunza Eco Generation, Nepal's Friendship Society and many other organizations. The goal: increase the local participation in environmental conservation.

The program, which was inaugurated by the local women's group president, Durga Devi Lamsal, started at sharp 7:00 am with 35 enthusiastic local participants and other 14 attendees from different organizations including the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science of Rampur. Around 100 plants like Juniper indica (Dhupi),Cassia fistula (Rajbrikash), Acacia catechu (Cutch tree) and Eucalyptus were planted around a temple and another hundred were distributed to the people for the plantation according to their selection site.

Looking forward to the next one!

"We are very happy to plant trees around this cultural heritage site which is as well our residential area, one of the local participants said and added, now we have the hope to live in a healthier and greener environment. We are feeling very satisfied by forwarding a small step to ensure a healthier life of upcoming generations and also committed to forward our environmental friendly activities in the upcoming days." Positive compliments by the attendees like the one mentioned inspired us to keep getting involved in environment friendly activities.

Plants are the utmost creation of nature for the existence of human beings. However, they are being depleted in a higher pace that is forwarding to the increased extinction of flora and fauna, as well as to a higher vulnerability of human existence. So, there is an urgency of plantation from today itself by each and every individual to allow the living organisms on earth for using their inborn right -i.e. right to live in green and healthy environment-. The most important initiative to be taken in order to build a green planet is to conduct the programs at grassroots level and involve all the people from different dimensions in making our planet clean and healthy.

Thanks to all the participants for their presence and support. I am already looking forward to coordinating another wonderful program like this!