The Journey of achieving One Million Trees

As a gesture to give back to society, I’ve had a passion beyond business. I hold a corporate social responsibility of contributing my best to society. For this, I created an NGO christened VETRY, which contributes to the growth of trees in the periphery of my home town Tiruppur. In 2015, while paying homage to Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam, planting of tree saplings was kick-started in the name of Vanathukkul Tiruppur – by VETRY and 1.35 Lacs tree saplings were planted during the months between August and November 2015. The initiative did not stop there and the next step for the growth of the plants – watering them is also being done on a regular basis using 30 Tractors donated by various corporate sponsors. Thereafter this tree plantation has become a people’s movement in Tiruppur District’ and as of September 2021, a total count of 11.30 Lakh Trees have been planted with a minimum survival rate of 88 %.

Planting one million trees in 6 years, was not an easy task and I am not fond of doing the easier tasks. So, I focused on improving the Tiruppur place to a better place for our future descents. With a resident population of 12 lakhs and a floating population of 8 lakhs, Tiruppur city is bursting with business activities, with more than 10,000 establishments of SMEs doing manufacturing and trading activities. Due to which lots of complaints about air pollution resulting in breathing problems and related ailments prevail here. To reduce the carbon footprint, I started the NGO called VETRY to support the environment and maintain the eco-cycle. We started planting trees in the year 2015 and have planted one million trees as of 2020. 

Even in the pandemic period, I didn’t lose hope and started my journey of planting more and more trees, as much as I can with the help of our volunteers. Vetry foundation aims to plant 2 lakh trees a year, to solve the poor air quality concerns. The initiative to plant trees did not stop after achieving the one million trees, we are trying to do it on the regular basis using 30 tractors donated by various corporate sponsors. Anything is possible if we have the courage to work hard for it.

In the year 2018, I have started an organic farm school called Araporul Velanagam with the Vetry foundation to educate fellow mates out there who are interested to give a hand to make this planet a better place to live in. This includes the teaching of the curricular activities which are necessary to be learned while planting trees and knowing the organic farming techniques. It has not only enhanced the revenue of the farmer but also has played a significant contribution in making Tiruppur a greener city. By using the horticulture method, farmers have regained confidence, the same ones who lost their hope in farming because of less water or no water available for a better livelihood.

I am creating awareness among the school and college children to pass this into the next generation too. They are the future generation who have to learn a lot from nature and give it back, the more they receive. The time has come for them to be responsible with nature. Young lads perform their responsibility better than us.  So, let’s join hands to make a greener planet for our well-being.