Managing Director of Swarnaa Group of Companies V.S.V. Prasad said that being future citizens of the country, it was the responsibility of every student to contribute their bit in environment conservation and they should begin it with planting one sapling near their houses.
He was speaking at the ‘Environment Day’ programme organised by The Hindu in association RNS Vidyaniketan School in Hubballi after planting saplings along with students. He also symbolically distributed copies of Environment Day Special Supplement of The Hindu Weekend Tabloid.
Mr. Prasad, who is actively involved in various green initiatives under which several thousand saplings have been planted in the region, said that the students should first realise the importance of trees, which not only give us shelter, fruits but also give us life saving oxygen.
He said that students should learn to contribute to the society, in whatever little way they could and protection and conservation of environment was the basic responsibility of every citizen. Expressing concern over the depleting green cover and increasing UV radiation in the surroundings, he said that compared to the growing population of the country, the ‘green population’ was less and the future citizens should take it upon themselves to plant more saplings in their own interest and that of the future generations.
Environmentalist and Secretary of ‘Hariru Usiru’ Green Club of Hubballi Pundalik Appinabail spoke on how through small initiatives students could increase the green cover in their surroundings. In the days of climate change, planting saplings and nurturing them would go a long way in fighting against global warming.
Mr. Pundalik said that nurturing a sapling would not require much effort. “A plant does not need watering every day. But it has to be watered properly for around four months in a year and the rest will be taken care by nature,” he said.
Presiding over the programme, Principal of the school Sharmial S. Hosur called on the students to understand the importance of preserving environment and contribute their bit in whatever way they could. Students Samarth Mathad welcomed the gathering while Prerana Chinchalli proposed a vote of thanks. Earlier, four groups of students were given the responsibility of nurturing four saplings that were planted to mark the occasion.
