JOIN USManipal University celebrated World Environment Day 2015 on Friday by planting over 100 saplings and organising an awareness programme primarily for students.
Nearly 1,000 of them from Academy of General Education, Dr T M A Pai Foundation and the University took part in the programme which started with a rally, flagged off by Pro Chancellor Dr H S Ballal from the University building.
The students then walked up to the ground adjacent to the MIT hockey ground, where saplings were planted by faculty members and officials of the University.
Vice Chancellor Dr H Vinod Bhat planted the first sapling. During the course of this year, 2,000 saplings will be planted. Last year, 3,500 saplings were planted to ensure green cover on the campus grew better with every passing year.
Speaking on the occasion, Registrar Dr G K Prabhu said that the theme of World Environment Day 2015 is “seven billion dreams. One planet. Consume with care.”
He said that Manipal University organised this programme every year to create awareness for a better world. The annual campaign includes a speech from a student on Eco Day. And it was Aryaman Shetty of Sharada Residential School Kunjibettu, Udupi who spoke on the occasion.
Aryaman’s message was particularly for the hundreds of students present. He impressed upon them that they were to take care of the present because they alone were the future too.
Therefore, everything good they did for the environment today would be what they experience tomorrow. Vice Chancellor, Dr Bhat spoke of sustainable development and what it takes to improve the quality of life.
He emphasised on the careful consumption of natural resources for a better world.
At KIOCL
The environment day was celebrated at KIOCL Limited, at its Blast Furnace Unit, Mangalore. General Manager Bobraj V Jeyaharan, inaugurated the day by planting the saplings and then different varieties of plant saplings were planted by the employees. Later at its Pellet Plant Unit an awareness programme and live demonstration on Vermi composting was conducted by Dr Bhagya Sharma, Assistant Director, Centre For Environmental Studies, Yenepoya University.
She enlightened the employees about the importance of vermi compost which was the need of the hour as pesticides were deteriorating the natural resources and organic farming was the way to go.
At prison
The Dakshina Kannada district Legal Services Authority in association with Bar Association and District Prison organised World Environment Day at district prison premises.
District Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Ganesh B planted saplings. District Home Guards Commandant Dr Murali Mohan Choontharu, District Jail Superintendent B T Obaleshappa, and others were present.