By R J Sudha-
Human habits, industrialization, climate change, and pollution are some of the key factors that have caused the earth’s resources to deplete at an alarming pace and if not acted upon now, our earth’s resources are sure to decline, causing the extermination of a sizeable number of the living organisms.
Each year since 1970, April 22 is celebrated as Earth Day to demonstrate support for the protection of our environment.
To mark this event this year, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) San Francisco Chapter spearheaded a tree planting event, along with Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) represented by Usha Chandra, ACT Foundation, represented by Vidya Rajagopalan and Vetrivel Foundation represented by Chockalingam Karuppiah & Sivagami Ramiah at the India Community Center (ICC), Milpitas. Subramanian Krishnan, Founder of Shastha Foods, Raj Desai, CEO of ICC, Deepak Chopra (ICC), SV Krishnamurthy (CA) and Jambu Palaniappan (VetriVel Foundation) were special guests of honor. It is to be noted that this is the second year in succession that ICAI have taken upon themselves to initiate such a commendable project. The event was enthusiastically attended by many school-going children as well.
Welcoming the gathering, Sudha Michael of ICAI, remarked that there were about 190 countries worldwide that celebrated Earth Day this year. Following this, Vish Arunachalam Founder Chairman, ICAI SF Chapter, expressed hope for collaboration with other organizations in the coming years to celebrate Earth Day and in identifying more lands so that the number of trees planted could increase in a bountiful way.
Vidya Rajagopalan, President of ACT Foundation USA, flew in all the way from Connecticut for this event and she, along with her local Bay Area chapter volunteers could be seen participating in the event with utmost sincerity.
Mohanji, Founder of ACT and the Fruit Tree Plantation Drive, besides many more such not-for-profit organizations, conveyed his wishes for Earth Day.
” Earth Day is a reminder that the Earth owns itself; we need to respect the Earth and its beings,” Mohanji told indica in an email. “Our responsibility is to help sustain life. Fruit tree plantation drive is an expression that we care and it shows.”
Devi Mohan, Global Ambassador of the Mohanji Foundation, ACT Foundation Global President, and Director of Himalayan School of Traditional Yoga, joined the event virtually from Slovenia and greeted the members on this special occasion.
She said that the moment we place a sapling into the soil, we actually taste timelessness! We have one mother, Mother Earth, and may we take the best care of her!
ACT Foundation USA celebrated Earth Day with multiple fruit tree plantation drives across the country – tree planting events happened in Hamden – CT, South Florida, Houston -Texas and of course in the Bay Area- California at the ICC. ACT Foundation has so far planted over 90,000 fruit trees worldwide and this drive in California is part of their Urban forestation initiative.
A speech that drew considerable attention was the one given by Subramanian Krishnan, who, during his recent visit to Chennai, India, helped a road-side “Isthri-wala” (a person who presses clothes) to convert his coal-based ironing box into a complete gas-based one. The shelter of the mobile unit was also upgraded in such a way that the person running it could keep the unit functioning irrespective of weather anomalies. According to Krishnan, the productivity of such a unit would increase manyfold in due course and so will the person’s income.
In all, twelve fruit trees were planted at the ICC campus including a plum tree and a cocktail fruit tree along with an irrigation system to keep them healthy.
The five “not for profit” organizations demonstrated their commitment to greener and more sustainable planet Earth and agreed to continue their efforts every year.
