EcoSikh plants 303 Forests on Guru Nanak's Name in two years
Harshabab Sidhu
Chandigarh, March 6, 2021:
EcoSikh announced the completion of 303 mini-forests consisting of 1,67,000 flourishing trees, which have been planted across India. The plantation of the 'Guru Nanak Sacred Forests' started in collaboration with Afforest two years ago as part of EcoSikh's goal of planting 1 million trees in honour of Guru Nanak's 550th birth-anniversary.
Dr Rajwant Singh, Global President of EcoSikh, said, "We are very pleased that 167,000 trees have been planted in these sacred forests so far, and 99% of them have survived and are thriving. This way of paying tribute to Guru Nanak will have a long-lasting positive impact on future generations. These sacred forests are conserving and restoring the biodiversity of Punjab and other parts of India. This is a collective and a concrete step to fight climate change."
EcoSikh President Supreet Kaur stated, "Guru Nanak Sacred Forest project has awakened Punjab towards protecting its biodiversity. Over 55 native and rare forest trees species of Punjab have been conserved under this project."
The panellists also launched a video teaser, "How to create a Sacred Forest in Punjab' a free online tutorial, which will uplift the vision of the youth of the state.
Convenor of Sacred Forests, Charan Singh, stated, "EcoSikh's Sacred Forest project has caught the imagination of our Punjabi youth. Today many of them feel empowered and believe that they can create many forests. This new green revolution in Punjab with green weddings, anniversaries, birthdays will multiply the 303 Sacred Forests in the coming year."
Sandeep Mehta from Angels Valley School Rajpura mentioned, "God has gifted me a forest of 11,000 trees of our 53 native indigenous species, on the 1.25-acre piece of land. I always envisioned that my school children could experience all the trees, birds and pollinators of Punjab. This will ensure high-quality air for the youngsters and boost their health. Sandeep Mehta also shared his plans for creating similar forests in all his factories, poultry farms and other commercial projects.
EcoSikh South Asia Project Manager Ravneet Singh said, "Our journey started with a 550-tree project, and today we are planting 11,000 in a single forest. We urge Punjabis to plant these forests in their schools, colleges, homes or Gurdwaras. This is for our benefit."
EcoSikh is celebrating the 11th annual Sikh environment day on March 14. This was started by the organization to mark the Gurta-gaddi Diwas (enthronement day) of the 7th Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai.