RoundGlass Foundation plants 5 lakh saplings across 665 villages in Punjab

Mohali: Mohali-based RoundGlass Foundation, which is on a mission to restore Punjab?s ecological balance by planting trees in rural areas of the state, has achieved the milestone of planting 5 lakh trees across 16 districts. Launched in 2018, the Foundation?s Plant for Punjab initiative is focused on rebuilding the state?s natural ecosystem and restoring its green cover.

Sunny (Gurpreet) Singh, Founder, RoundGlass, said about the achievement, ?A clean, healthy, green environment is the cornerstone of a life of Wholistic Wellbeing. We work with multiple stakeholders including the government, village panchayats, youth clubs, and the community to identify areas of need, source indigenous plant species suitable for the area, and plant and nurture indigenous trees. We believe that together we can change the ecological landscape of Punjab, contribute to climate action, and give this gift of a green Punjab to our future generations.?

The Foundation?s on-ground team, along with over 6,000 volunteers across Punjab, worked day and night for three years to achieve this target in early October. Tree plantation is only meaningful when the saplings survive to grow into trees. To ensure a high survival rate, the Foundation involves village Panchayats, volunteers, and youth club members who help plant and take care of these saplings. Along with this, the Foundation also collaborates with the government?s Van Mitra scheme under which one MGNREGA worker is provided to take care of every 200 saplings for 100 days. These efforts help ensure that the survival rate of the saplings is above 90%.

The saplings planted cover 130 species ranging from native, ornamental, medicinal, to fruit species. Sixty of these are species native to Punjab, including desi kikar, rahooda, desi beri, reru, jhand, van, farmah, falahi, etc. that have either disappeared or might get extinct.

In the process of planting the 5 lakh saplings, RoundGlass Foundation has created 450 Mini Forests in Punjab. These Mini Forests comprise sapling clusters of indigenous shrubs and trees that grow faster and are more bio-diverse than conventional plantations. They are fast growing into dense man-made forests and act as lungs for villages, help restore habitats for birds and animals, and aid climate correction. The Mini Forests also play a crucial role in bringing back many bird species ? small sparrows, parrots, white sparrows, owls, baya weavers, butterflies, and bees ? that had migrated from Punjab due to deforestation.

By rebuilding Punjab?s green cover, the Foundation is thus creating a cascading effect to restore the ecological balance of the state.

About the RoundGlass Foundation

In 2018, the RoundGlass Foundation set out on a journey of creating a healthier, happier, and more vibrant Punjab by applying the principles of wholistic wellbeing. The Foundation is committed to improving the lives of children, youth, women, and helping communities and the environment flourish by making significant social, cultural, and economic investments in the state.

Company :-ON PURPOSE

User :- Jinal Nagda

Email :-jinal@onpurposeconsulting.in