Tree Plantation Drive – Nature Club

In trying to contribute my part towards the nature, I ended up stepping out of my comfort zone, into mud! I have always hated monsoons for the gloomy and humid atmosphere that they come with, and the puddles they leave us with. In spite of I hating even the idea of getting wet, I participated in a plantation drive held by Nature Club, going by the pure thought of serving mother nature. On the first Sunday of July, I chose to wake up at 7 AM, tackle heavy rains and reach KV Central School at 8.00 AM sharp, joining fellow classmates. I had a very simple goal in my mind : to utilise this opportunity to the fullest by consciously making efforts towards saving and serving the environment, as a volunteer.

I wasn’t planting trees for the first time, I went to a tree plantation last year too. Hence, I knew the basics of planting saplings. But the twist here was that we weren’t planting saplings for shrubs, plants or bushes. We were planting the saplings for trees that would grow huge in terms of size and volume. This meant that there were changes in the sizes of the holes and the sizes of saplings itself. Consequently, we had to collaborate and join hands to plant every single sapling. As it was raining heavily, there was an additional hurdle we encountered : the holes constantly filled themselves up with rainwater. How ironic it is, removing one force of nature for the betterment of another! Coming back, we now had to become quicker and more efficient to drain rainwater outside, plant the sapling, cover it with soil , ensure it had good support and check that it isn’t getting crushed. So, to plant one single sapling, we had to demonstrate our skills and work together efficiently and effectively.

I knew that on an individual basis, my work would not affect the environment’s status quo to a huge extent. However, at the same point in time, a quote crossed my mind “ I maybe a one single drop, but together, we are an ocean!”.  This ocean here that I am referring to, is the engagement of people on a global basis, trying to show the ill effects of climate change, and how they can be mitigated through a task as simple as planting trees(afforestation). The negative effects of climate change have been seen and acknowledged by people across the world, implying how it has become an issue of global significance. Increased percentage carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can be tackled through planting trees who take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Cutting down of trees for various purposes have brought us increased temperatures. Unless we practice afforestation, climate change remain an issue of global significance. Hence, I think that this experience was a service for our environment.

 

Last but not the least, I would rate this activity amongst the top as I think I did something meaningful while stepping out of my comfort zone. After all, stepping out of your comfort zone is exactly when your life begins!