Unique environment loving teacher to make Anand green

Climate change has created environmental imbalances around the world and this has resulted in many problems. The only solution to this great challenge is to conserve and cultivate as many trees as possible. One need to start the initiative and inspire others to join.

Kalpesh Patel, a native of Vijapur taluka of Mehsana district and a teacher at Adaas Tabe Vasantpura Primary School in Anand taluka, is once such person who is fond of trees since childhood. With shovel, tree saplings inside a iron handcart and water tanker, every morning and evening this environment loving teacher plant saplings with an aim to inherit fresh air for future generations.

"After joining Vasana Primary School in Khambhat taluka of Anand district in the year 2008 as a teacher, I used to teach different subjects to the children specially in Social science I taught children about the usefulness of trees. It occurred to me that I was learning about to plant and nurture as many trees as possible and take care of them but I myself do not do the work of planting trees to take care of them. I have a habit of having what I learn," said Kalpesh.

So he slowly started planting trees in the school and every year I brought saplings from the forest department nursery on the school letterpad and started planting trees in the school with the staff. Gradually I became interested in planting trees after engaged children in this activity.

He brought saplings from the nursery of the forest department and cultivating them in the school every year and also planted trees in Govindpura village. He planted trees and raised them in the society where he lives. In the year 2019, he collect about 500 saplings from Van Chetna Nursery Gandhinagar and planted them in Govindpura village.

In the year 2019, about 500 trees were planted in Anand with the help of voluntary organizations. Since the year 2019, he have been working with Vriksha Ganga Abhiyan, Dia Team, Yuva Gayatri Parivar Anand on every Sunday and on holidays to plant saplings in morning and evening. I inspire people to plant trees on someone's birthday, anniversary or other social occasion and also provide guidance on how to take care of it. Not only this, with the help of seedlings I am able to dig up pits and plant trees myself.

He encourage friends and relatives to plant trees for special days. He also teach the children about the usefulness of trees during the educational work and also to make them responsible for planting one or two trees every year.

He encourage people to plant trees as much as possible by getting tree planting information from social media, forest department officials and others along with doing tree plantation work for two hours every morning.