A Sikh-American organisation in Washington, EcoSikh, on Thursday, December 12, pledged to support the plantation of 100 forests in Punjab and other parts of India as part of their contribution to combat climate change.
Members of EcoSikh, during its 7th Gala in Washington, pledged to plant Guru Nanak Sacred forests in Punjab and elsewhere in the world, a statement issued by the organisation said. “The planting of 100 Guru Nanak Sacred forests will also help EcoSikh reach its target of planting one million trees in honour of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth-anniversary,” it said.
The NGO has adopted the Japanese Miyawaki afforestation methodology to transform empty patches into forests.
“This will restore nature’s imbalance in Punjab and other parts of India. The world is facing a pollution crisis and it is affecting the health of our children. Planting a forest is the best investment for our collective future,” Shubhendu Sharma from Afforestt, a service provider for creating natural native forests said.
EcoSikh’s global president Rajwant Singh, said: “We feel that planting a forest in our backyard, schools, colleges, and gurdwaras can go a long way to purify our surroundings and make a dent in carbon sequestering”.
Ahead of the events to commemorate the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev at Sultanpur Lodhi, EcoSikh showcased 58 mini Guru Nanak sacred forests raised in parts of Punjab and other states. At each of the location, 550 trees of native species were planted in October. The creation of “Nanak Bagichi” or mini forests coincided with the worldwide celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Under the ‘Guru Nanak 550 Campaign’, the goal was to plant one million trees all over the world.
Dr Rajwant Singh said that the goal was to plant 550 trees each at 1,820 locations in the name of Guru Nanak to reach the goal of one million. Communities in India, Canada, Pakistan, Australia, US, Myanmar and UK have already planted 550 trees in their countries as a part of celebrations.
