“A tree absorbs on average 50 pounds (22 Kg) of Carbon dioxide annually and can sequester 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old.”
Tree plantation is a great way to counter the growing pollution levels in the environment, offset carbon footprint and become carbon-neutral. The more the number of trees, the better the oxygen we will get to breathe, and lesser ecological catastrophes would happen in the future.
“We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment so that we can bequeath our children a sustainable world that benefits all”. Wangari Maathai
It’s very crucial to raise environmental awareness to know the fragility of our ecology and the significance of its protection. Promoting ecological awareness is a way for partaking in children through group learning, and informational and inspirational workshops.
These days, many children have a lesser amount of time and fewer opportunities to attach to nature. As it is obvious that connection with nature makes children feel better about themselves. And this can be done by supporting environmental education programs for children by inspiring children to plant a tree and an opportunity to connect with nature.
Nepal Sanctuary Treks initiated the tree plantation program with the motive to allow the children to discover the wonders of nature, develop a culture of care towards the environment and understand the importance of using the environmental resources rationally. This will help to make a lifelong commitment to conserving the environment for themselves and upcoming generations.
Nepal Sanctuary Treks believe in Sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental awareness. Being a Travelife Certified Company and an active member of society, it is our responsibility and duty to contribute to the greater good.
Tree Plantation and Environment Sustainability Workshop, 2019
Nepal Sanctuary Treks organized the tree plantation program at Katja House on August 3, 2019, Saturday with the theme “Go Green, Think Sustainable, Act Responsible”. More than 60 participants were made aware of the negative impact of deforestation, misuse of natural resources, and the importance of greening in countering the emerging threats.
Tulsi Gyawali, Managing Director of Nepal Sanctuary Treks, initiated the program by providing the program overview to the children and other participants. Apart from tree plantation, various environmental and teamwork activities, and an interactive workshop session were the highlight of this program.
Environmental Sustainability Session
The environmental Sustainability session was conducted by Tulsi Gyawali, Managing Director of Nepal Sanctuary Treks. In this session, children were taught about the importance of protecting environmental resources, the benefits of sensible use of water, energy and paper, 4R policy: Reuse, Reduce, Refuse and Recycle. Prior to the tree plantation program, children were educated on the importance of plantation, saving trees, and their benefits.
In addition, Nepal Sanctuary Treks distributed three Eco-posters to Katja that depicts sustainability, energy-saving ideas, and the tips on proper utilization of environmental resources.
Child Safety awareness session
Every child possesses the right to a safe childhood free of abuse. They have the right to live, to be safe, to belong, to be heard, to get adequate care, and to grow up in a protective atmosphere.
Taking safety into consideration as an important aspect of child development, Tulsi Gyawali delivered the topics on children’s safety awareness. The session covers using a method that promotes the safety of self against exploitation, recognizing abuse, people’s nature, and understanding ways of keeping safe.
Sustainability interactive session and team building activities
Team-building games and activities are a great instrument for assisting children to learn to work in a team, listen carefully, communicate clearly, and think creatively. This interactive session and team-building games inspire children to find a means to work together to achieve a common goal.
Led by Pramila Shrestha, Sustainability Coordinator of Nepal Sanctuary Treks, team building activities were conducted for children to improve coordination and cooperation between the teams through games.
In the Sustainability interactive session, children were given an opportunity to identify sustainable and unsustainable practices. Children were introduced to observing problems and solutions to environmental conservation through pictures. Likewise, different team-building games were organized for the children where they energetically engaged and had a lot of fun.
Tree Plantation Program
On the day of the plantation activity, the children, facilitator, and other participants first gathered together at Katja ground. The participants were divided into 10 groups of 5 each, where each group was assigned to cultivate five saplings at Katja premises with their small hands and watering them.
The participant planted 50 nos. Saplings of tropical fruits like mango, avocado, walnut, apples, and many more. Tulsi Gyawali, Managing Director of Nepal Sanctuary Treks was told about the significance of the environment in our lives, how much it matters to every living being, and how we should conserve it.
The information also disseminated to participants that cultivating saplings is not the ultimate way to protect the environment. One should be responsible and sustainable care for trees. Such activities could be delivered detailed information about the importance of trees for children, how to plant varied types of trees, and how to nurture them.
The most appealing part was the active engagement and interest of children in environmental conservation and sustainability. Their inquisitiveness in learning about the environment, raising the questions that they have in their mind, and actively answering the questions was absolutely commendable. Such a green initiative program is a great way to make the new generation conscious of the critical situation.
This will lead the children to take an interest in their environment and make greener choices. In the program, we taught life skills through tree planting, and teamwork through workshops and games. Children learned responsibility by caring for the plants, and how to communicate and compromise with each other.
Dance Performance of Children
Though the entire event itself was special, the energetic and talented children’s wonderful dance performance added a charm to the program.
Prize distribution
After the entire program, Tulsi Gyawali Managing Director distributed the prize as a token of appreciation to the children engaged in team-building games and interactive sessions.
Post Tree Plantation Assessment
Nepal Sanctuary Treks divided the participants into 10 groups to cultivate the trees. Each group of 5 participants planted the 5 trees and was assigned the responsibility to take care of the trees. Every two weeks, we are planning to visit Katja House to assess the progress and provide additional assistance if required.
