One hot Tuesday afternoon, a young, enthusiastic man landed at our doorstep in north-east Bangalore, from South Bangalore, with a message of a green future.

He, like his 14 co-workers, are like postmen, sans uniform, and in the last month, they have rung at least 200 doorbells, trying to breathe a fresh lease of life into a garden city, which is almost a concrete jungle, where trees are making way for highways and ring roads, and pollution levels are rising. 

These messengers are from Greenpeace India, which is bringing hope of a greener Bangalore through the distribution of saplings right at your doorstep.

Says Vivek Mehta who has an interesting designation – DD (Direct Dialogue) Officer, and has distributed 200 saplings among them Singapore cherries and neem trees: “My job is to visit homes and bring about awareness of what climate change is doing to humans and the environment to point out immediate solutions like banning of the bulb and planting more trees.”

Says Sandeep Vegad, Key Donor Co-ordinator, “Most of the saplings are medium sized trees that grow up to approx 15-20 feet.

We do not give saplings that can be grown in pots because the idea is to make people aware of the bigger problem that is caused by the cutting down of the trees — climate change for instance.” Environmentalists believe that the old and dying trees in the must be identified and removed.

The BBMP and Forest Department seem to have no knowledge about trees and its ecological, botanical, environmental functions. Scientific pruning of trees would help. Reckless pruning would cause trees to slant dangerously to one side, multiplying their chances of falling.
 
About Greenpeace

Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force solutions for a green and peaceful future.

With temperatures soaring, scarcity of water and power increasing every day, summers getting hotter, the challenge for Greenpeace is have this dangerous trend arrested. Says Vegad, “We are asking citizens to join the fight against climate change.”

There are two major drives on. One is a signature campaign to ban the ordinary bulb. Did you know that by replacing all ordinary light bulbs with CFLs, we can reduce India's CO2 emissions by 55 million tonnes.

“Every day, India uses 18,000 MW of electricity for lighting; most of it is wasted by the use of inefficient ordinary light bulbs.

 To reduce CO2 emissions, India must become more energy efficient. The CFL uses only 20 per cent of the energy used by an ordinary light bulb.”

The letter to the union power minister says: “You have the power and responsibility to bring about this change by announcing a total ban on incandescent light bulbs by 2010, and to make CFLs more readily accessible to the common man.”

Contribute your mite

As part of the ‘Plant a Tree’ programme, Greenpeace invites you to partner with it and do your bit for our environment.

The organisation says that it is as simple as 123.  All you have to do is to give your name, contact number and address, and your sapling will reach your doorstep.”

The 'Plant a Tree' programme is available in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. For details contact, 64517571; email: tree@in.greenpeace.org  website: www.greenpeaceindia.org program