RID 3250 to plant one tree for every Rotarian

Plant, preserve, manage forests, and measure the benefits they provide. This way we can build a more sustainable future.” With these words RIPE Shekhar Mehta launched Vasundhara, RID 3250’s initiative to plant 1.2 million trees over a zoom meeting, dedicating one tree for every Rotarian worldwide. This project is the brainchild of RC Jamshedpur West. As the club has been working with tribal communities in rural Jharkhand for over 12 years it was easy for it to approach the village panchayats for the plantation drive.

DG Rajan Gandotra explained that the initiative is well-planned and also covers the urban areas of Jharkhand. He congratulated Dr Amit Mukherjee, Alpana Shah and Amithab Bakshi for their efforts in planning the drive in three phases — mass rural plantation, greet with a tree and urban plantation drive. “Our primary goal is to establish beneficial resources for the village and urban lands which will in turn support biodiversity and provide valuable ecosystem services.”

When you are serving mother earth it doesn’t make a difference if you are a Rotarian, a Lion or a Roundtabler.
– Ravi Shankar Dakoju, Past president RC Bangalore Orchards, RID 3190

RID Kamal Sanghvi congratulated his home district for conceptualising “a great project” and encouraged RID Francessco Arezzo (US), PRIDs Geetha Manek (Kenya), Raffy Garcia III (Philippines), present at the meet, to replicate it in their zones. He appreciated the host club president Anjani Nidhi and his spouse Banashree for facilitating the partnership with Grow-Trees.com.

PRIP Gary Huang and Trustee Gulam Vahanvaty thanked the district for planting a sapling in their names.

Grow-trees.com will monitor the entire programme and remunerate villagers engaged in the activity, while Rotary will identify large patches of land through village and civic bodies. “We have plans to green the Sundarbans as it has been devastated by the recent cyclone,” said Nidhi.

Our primary goal is to establish beneficial resources for the village and urban lands which will in turn support biodiversity and provide valuable ecosystem services.
– Rajan Gandotra, District Governor, RID 3250

Gandotra informed that 50,000 trees have been planted in Chandpur, Murgaghutu and Harisundarpur villages near Jamshedpur and a partnership is under way with Tata Steel to green the cities of Jharkhand.

Ravishankar Dakoju, past president of RC Bangalore Orchards, RID 3190, said, “1.2 million is doable. The easiest way to achieve this is to join forces with other organisations. When you are serving mother earth it doesn’t make a difference if you are a Rotarian, a Lion or a Roundtabler.”