By Ms Pearl Fernandes for BISMumbai

The staff and students of Don Bosco Junior College Yerwada, Pune, in collaboration with the NGO Being Volunteer, participated in a Tree Plantation Drive at Mahalunge Forest Land on 15 July 2023, with the goal of instilling a passion for sustainability in students and assisting them to make the world a better place. 

Being Volunteer, believes that ‘Every human being has an innate desire to do something for another’. As an NGO, it seeks to foster a culture of volunteerism in which individual volunteers serve as positive change agents, as well as to build a nation in which both extremes of our society, the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, collaborate to create a beautiful world in which to live.

134 motivated students and 11 dedicated teachers were led by the members of Being Volunteer, who welcomed them and gave a brief explanation of their organisation and the work they do. The Being Volunteer team had dug the pits and made all of the necessary preparations. The students were divided into groups and given planting tools, fertiliser, and saplings. The students actively planted the saplings and diligently cleared the area of all types of plastic waste with the assistance of their teachers and volunteers.

The volunteers guided the students and demonstrated proper plant planting and care, which encouraged them to participate fully in the tree planting activity. The students were taught the tree dance, which was a fun activity that they thoroughly enjoyed. The students and staff successfully planted 500 saplings.

Mr Ajinkya Parke, the captain of the Junior College, proudly stated, "I am fortunate to be a part of this mission of sustainability by Don Bosco and will continue to be a part of such important and interesting projects in the future as well”. Ms Rachael Ullagaddi said, "The tree plantation drive gives the feeling of accomplishing something worthwhile. Even in small ways, we can make a difference for the environment. It feels good to know that I helped the earth”. 

Don Bosco Junior College thus assisted their students in understanding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which are the blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all.  SDG 11 aims to "Make cities and human settlements more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable," while SDG 15 seeks to "Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss”. Mr Kailas Narwade, the founder of Being Volunteer, praised Don Bosco Junior College for incorporating Green Initiative Projects into their youth outreach activities. 

The students enjoyed a day in the beauty of nature as they picked up important life lessons outside the classroom. The collaboration between the students and teachers in making Mother Earth appear a little greener made the activity a huge success.