TREE ADOPTION PROGRAMME @MLDMHI, PALGHAR
Dr. Prashant Tamboli,
NAAC Committee Member, Working for Green Initiative
Trees are beautiful expressions of nature. They are useful too! Everyone knows the importance of trees. Therefore, on the 5th of June, the World Environment day, millions of trees are planted to save our environment. However, studies have shown that barely 40% of the newly planted trees survive by the next Environment Day!
Trees need nurturing and care for at least 4 years to survive on their own. Care has been one of the fundamental virtues of MLDMHI. The tri-coordinate concept of Care is not just restricted to clinical, academic and knowledge aspects but the institute believes that it must be extended in preserving the health of the environment. Trees, considered the health index of the environment, are Mankind’s real treasures and are to be preserved for future generations.
The MLDMHI campus is already a green campus. Currently the campus has around 275 trees of more than 50 types, which include fruit-bearing, flowering and medicinal trees. Like every year, this year too, MLDMHI had decided to plant 66 trees on Environment day. However, this year MLDMHI wanted to go beyond just planting them and decided to nurture them for at least one full year. The idea proposed by Research department that volunteers from teachers, staff and students to adopt a tree for a year and take care in the maximum possible way so that their survival rate increases in our campus. MLDMHI also wanted students to learn one more aspect from the trees as they give us hope and insight, and courage to persevere – even in the harshest of conditions. Similarly, students also should put their best efforts in apparently stressful situations for preserving their dreams at MLDMHI.
11 students, 6 non-teaching staff members, 5 teachers and 3 departments became protectors of the trees. Tree care would involve at least once a week visit to the adopted tree, closely inspect it for signs of growth, any infection or any other abnormality. The persons will also ensure that the gardener is watering them adequately, suggest any fertilizer for the proper growth. It is needless to say that MLDMHI will only use natural fertilisers. Institute had also called an expert who visited the campus, oriented the students about the trees, and the care to be taken.
On the 15th of August, the Cultural committee of MLDMHI, under the guidance of Dr C R Goda arranged an informative talk on nurturing the environment by Mr. Sudhir Dandekar, Vice President of our Patient Care Committee. Later, students shared the information about the trees on the campus. Along with the non-teaching staff they also presented a skit on “How trees are brutally cut and the importance of planting trees.”
MLDMHI is hoping to extend environment consciousness through this effort in all the members of the institute.
