Isha Foundation
Tamil Nadu, India
Ecosystem: Forest
Start Date: year 1991
On October 17, 2006, the Isha Foundation with volunteers made the unbelievable achievement of planting 813,226 trees during one single day. A new Guinness world record?
Aims and Goals:
Isha Foundation’s mission is to work for the physical, mental, and inner well-being of all people. Among its initiatives for human well-being is the Project Green Hands that is creating awareness and increasing the green cover in the State of Tamil Nadu, India.
Through its environmental activity, Isha Foundation aims are to make people aware that we are living on this earth as an irresponsible generation. Therefore the Project Green Hands has been launched to inspire everyone to do something for their environment which is so fundamental to everybody’s well being.
The projects goal is to conduct multiple grass-root projects leading to mass tree planting events and creating opportunities for people from all “walks of life” to be involved according to their means and their skills. Examples of activities are everything from children schools starting eco club, to organic farmers association setting nurseries, to agriculture experts conducting awareness campaigns, to music band organising fundraising concerts, to social clubs inviting their members to tree planting days, and to company managing our project promotion.
Background:
Isha Foundation has been involved in rural rejuvenation for the last 15 years. The foundation works with various different projects, in areas like heath care, AIDS awareness and schools development. On the environmental side they have the Project Green Hand. It operates in the state of Tamil Nadu, in South India, with a population of 64 million people. The project aims at developing a unique methodology of growing nurseries and undertaking mass tree planting programs by involving large numbers of volunteers from the collection of the seeds to the maintenance of the trees. The project is designed to plant 114 million trees over the decade and establish a culture of nurturing trees. This project will not only bring respite to the ecology of the state, but do so without imposing any fresh financial burden upon the state, whose forest cover is just 17.5%. The project is also a massive effort in community building, presenting a new paradigm of participatory governance and empowering lay individuals to shape the course of the world.
Work for Ecological Restoration:
The Project Green Hands is a vision of Sadhguru, the founder of Isha Foundation, to increase the green cover of the state of Tamil Nadu entirely though people’s initiatives. An estimated 114 million saplings are to be planted in the next 10 years in order to increase the green cover of the state by 10%, involving millions of volunteers across the state. In 2005, contributing to the rehabilitation of Tsunami affected villages in Cuddalore districts 25,000 trees was planted by thousands of villagers. The project was extended to the whole state in 2006. 813,226 saplings was planted on the same day, the 17th of October 2006, by more than 200, 000 volunteers. Thanks to the volunteers the Marathon day became a big success. The volunteers were spread over more than 600 villages and towns contributed to its achievement, involving 515 schools and colleges and more than 100 industrial and public organisation over 27 districts of Tamil Nadu.
Current needs:
Funding, volunteers, international recognition and networking.
Please use this contact form for direct contact and let them know how you can help their work further.
