World Environment Day is observed on the fifth day of June every year. Radio Active CR 90.4 MHz marked the day by inviting some of the most passionate environmentalists and environment activists to share personal stories of change-making and to highlight the importance of the day.  

Manjunath Pattegar, Narasimaiah, and Ravindra R Gowda from the Miditha Foundation were our guests today and they highlighted the simple formula they preach to make the planet greener.

“Our aim is to visit every house in every ward of Bengaluru and encourage people to plant at least one plant in their homes. We often encounter people complaining about the lack of space, about how they don’t want to compromise their parking space, etc. One day though, we came across an old street vendor selling fruits on a street-side. She asked us why we were going to every house and how the residents won’t understand our good work. She invited us to her home and asked us to plant some saplings inside her house and in her verandah. She claimed that this would show them the importance of planting trees. And indeed, people took notice and wanted to follow suit. It can get frustrating sometimes, this need to be explained about the importance of the environment.”

– Manjunath Pattegar

“The village of Nelamangala used to have so many trees. But today, busy roads with their traffic noise provide the constant background sound to the place. Vehicle horns have replaced the soothing sounds of birdsong. We noticed many barren spots around the area, so we started planting trees through our own sanghas. If we keep ignoring the spread of such spots, there could come a future when there would be no trees and no birds. We need to act today, every single one of us – every house must have at least one tree!”

– Narasimaiah

“We used to have so many lakes in Bengaluru; they used to be beautiful, with a ring of trees around them. But, it is no longer so. This is tragic.”

– Ravindra R Gowda

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Written by Shruti Sharada.