An Independence Day Pledge: A call to plant 3 million trees for a sustainable future

According to a survey by Global Forest Watch, India lost 393kha of humid primary forest between 2002 to 2022, making up 18% of its total tree cover loss in the same time period. The total area of humid primary forest in India decreased by 3.9% in this time period. From 2001 to 2022, India lost 2.19Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 5.6% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 1.11Gt of CO₂e emissions. In the run-up to the 76th Independence Day on August 15th, and in keeping with the theme of 'Nation First, Always First', Grow-Trees.com has pledged to address this issue by planting 3 million trees.

Says Pradip Shah, the co-founder of Grow-Trees.com, "The credo of 'Nation First, Always First' also translates to taking care of India's biodiversity on which our collective survival depends. It is important that afforestation be recognised as a collective responsibility because only when individuals, communities and multiple stakeholders come together, can we plant hope and a greener future for generations to come."

Grow-Trees.com has been striving to achieve exactly that since its inception in 2010 by planting millions of trees, restoring ecosystems, and sending a positive ripple effect across local communities and wildlife habitats with area and impact-specific projects like Trees for Elephants (Singh hum, Jharkhand, India), Trees for Tigers (Ramtek, Maharashtra), Trees for Tribals (Eastern Districts, Tamil Nadu) and many more.

The organisation has planted more than 18 Million trees in over 23 states which at maturity will absorb 370 Million KgCo2 and is also doing its bit to repair animal corridors and offer sustenance to rural communities by generating 1,445,818 days of employment through plantation, and maintenance activities. According to Pradip Shah, “It is also important for us to raise awareness about the importance of plantation activities among urban citizens who are struggling in the absence of green lung spaces with smog and acute pollution. If all citizens pledged to plant just one tree, they would facilitate carbon sequestration, increase green cover in heat islands, help reduce air pollution and enhance water tables. We encourage everyone to take the pledge with us and be a part of a momentous movement that aims to create a lasting legacy of environmental stewardship in India.”