By Wildlife TodayTeam
Over the past two decades, India has lost nearly 15% of its total tree cover. According to Global Forest Watch, an online monitoring system, more than 3,48,000 hectares (ha) of humid primary forest have disappeared since 2002; 18,000 of them in 2024 alone. What is gone is gone, but luckily forests can revive through affirmative action.
With a dream to replenish the lost green cover of Mother Earth and empower the young minds from diverse and less privileged strata, with wisdom to plant trees, nurture nature and grow a greener tomorrow, a plantation drive titled ‘Smaller Hands, Greener Earth’ was conducted on Aug 26, 2026 at Harit Upvan, Greater Noida, a 6 Acre Green Site developed & nurtured by Give Me Trees Trust under the aegis of HCL Foundation.
The plantation drive was organised and lead by SEAA Trust, New Delhi (a member of UN Global Compact Network India UNGCNI) in collaboration with, Give Me Trees Trust (popularly known by its founder’s name Peepal Baba aka Swami Prem Parivartan), Mera Sahara, a leading NGO under the aegis of Joint Women Programme (JWP), Noida, working towards education and social development of underprivileged children in Delhi/NCR and Arty Hearty Retreats (arts & culture wing of Hope Society, Noida).
Aligned with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), and curated in the spirit of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the plantation drive marked another meaningful step towards the larger dream of SEAA Trust and Arty Hearty Retreats – to create a greener planet by planting 10,000 trees by 2030 and nurturing the ‘Green Guardians of Mother Earth’ to protect and replenish its precious flora and fauna.
The cloudy morning of Aug 26, also brought with it a new wave of green hope, as 20 children: Sohail, Gomti, Nancy, Sana, Aahil, Nancy, Laxmi, Aayush, Shivam, Shagun, Aliza, Khushi, Afsana, Mayank, Karan, Krishankant, Deepsikha, Aaryan and Megha from Mera Sahara’s school initiative arrived at Harit Upvan filled with curiosity and enthusiasm, ready to plant, learn and grow alongside nature. Accompanied by their teachers Mr. Praveen Kumar Singh, Ms. Rubina Begum, Ms. Pritima and Ms. Shivani Singh, the children zealously showcased their beautiful hand drawn posters on ‘Saving Planet’, ‘Planting Trees’, ‘Green Mother Earth’, ‘Save Water’, etc., all set to learn, grow and nurture with nature. The spirited group was greeted warmly with open hearts and smiles by Ms. Smitha Raman (Vice President, SEAA Trust, Advisor and Senior Mentor AHR), Mr. Thothatri Raman (Chairman, SEAA Trust, New Delhi & Veteran Journalist), Dr. Ishtiyaq Ahmed
( Biodiversity expert and on-site coordinator Harit Upvan, Give Me Trees Trust), Mr. Neeraj Jaiswal (Founder & President Hope Society, Noida and Arty Hearty Retreats), Mr. Vidhaat Raman (eminent Sound Designer, Film maker & Photographer), Ms. Muskan Verma (Aerospace Engineer, Content Designer & Photography volunteer Arty Hearty Retreats) & Ms. Stuti Kalra (Editor & Co-Founder Arty Hearty Retreats).
After an ice breaking session wherein kids introduced themselves, described their posters, shared their passion and dreams, the entire group was taken for an extensive nature walk of the 70,000 odd plants at Harit Upvan by Dr. Ishtiyaq Ahmed the on site coordinator and bio diversity expert, Give Me Trees Trust. He introduced the children to the fascinating world of plants, explaining the vital role of grasses and sharing fun facts like wheat and rice are grasses too. He showed them a rare variety of Moringa tree and spoke about its remarkable nutritional value, while also introducing them to majestic old Peepal trees and unique flowering shrubs, herbs and grasses. The children also delighted in spotting sparrows, munias and warbler birds flitting through the lush six-acre green expanse. One of the most enchanting highlights of the nature walk was discovering the vibrant world of butterflies from Lime and Blue Moon to Common Mormon and Plain Tiger alongside bees, moths, caterpillars and grasshoppers. He also explained the concepts like, food chain, life cycle of butterflies, co-habitation of flora and fauna, interdependence of species, importance of demographic and geographic parameters like soil quality, temperature, humidity, etc., as decisive catalysts of plantation.
With Dr. Ishtiaq as their guide, the children transformed into little explorers, learning to observe, identify and appreciate the incredible diversity of life around them. Each discovery sparked excitement, curiosity and a deeper connection with nature.
The nature walk culminated in the day’s most meaningful mission to make the Earth greener. The children, their mentors, members of SEAA Trust and Arty Hearty Retreats, along with volunteers, gathered at the plantation site, where they came together to plant around 20 trees. Enriching the young saplings with vermicompost made at Harit Upvan and nurturing them with water, the children experienced the joy of giving life back to the Earth. The children’s enthusiasm and genuine curiosity about ecology and the environment were evident in their thoughtful questions, delighting everyone present. Their quest for knowledge was remarkable, and over the four-hour session, they absorbed, explored and discovered with eagerness. The session culminated with kids and the entire group savouring refreshments lovingly made and served by Harit Upvan staff and enchanting dance performance by the kids.
The drive came alive through beautiful moments captured behind the lens. Ms. Muskan Verma, an amateur photographer and enthusiastic volunteer with Arty Hearty Retreats, generously shared her time and talent, turning joyful moments into memories to cherish with her camera. Eminent sound designer and filmmaker Vidhaat Raman was a constant source of encouragement, engaging wholeheartedly with the children, learning from their curiosity and capturing their wonder through his lens.
More than a plantation activity, it was an opportunity to connect young hearts and hands with the soil, air, water and plants to understand that every tree planted is an act of care, every sapling nurtured is a promise to tomorrow, and that a greener, healthier planet begins with each one of them becoming the ‘Green Guardians of Mother Earth’.
Such an inspiring and thoughtful project to involve the young school kids who love nature and being out in the midst of nature certainly given the opportunity.
Making them see and understand the importance of trees and preserving the green lung and it’s biodiversity is laudable. Hope many other schools all over the country follow this initiative.
Kudos to the organisers, and those passionate about preserving our trees and our earth.