Green cover

Goa is giving its trees a chance to breathe again. With a new ‘No-Concrete Zone’ rule, the state is removing suffocating concrete from around tree bases, offering space for roots to thrive.

Close to 800 trees, varying between 10-15 feet, have been planted along NH 44, using Tripura-based IFS officer Prasada Rao’s low-cost method to increase the green cover.

Using a method invented by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, Kukma village in Gujarat has built a flourishing forest using 10,000 litres of wastewater, which is purified daily to water thousands of plants.

Working tirelessly for the last 20 years, school teacher Alok Tripathi from Madhya Pradesh transformed 3.5 acres of arid school property into a lush green oasis

Dr Alby John Varghese, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) of Greater Chennai Corporation set up the first Miyawaki forest in Kotturpuram last year, which inspired the corporation to set up 30 more across Chennai.

Maharashtra-based Mohammed Dilawar, a sparrow conservation activist, and his team have restored 400 species of native plants, which they have planted across 20,000 acres. The beauty of these plants is that all of them are indigenous alternatives to non-native ones, helping keep the ecological balance in check.

A new sapling that has been planted on the roadside, has a bleak survival rate. But what these citizens did ensured that 350 of them blossomed into flourishing trees! #Bengaluru

Using this, it’s possible to grow a variety of native species in as little a space as 20 square feet. Imagine having your own mini forest!

150 trees when she is 15, 300 when she is 30 and, 800 when she is 80! In this manner, Kavya promises to plant ten times her age in trees every birthday.

From being a single parent to nurturing her ‘mother’ (the Earth) and travelling to New York to receive UNESCO award, Anasuyamma’s life is truly inspiring.