IF YOU HAVE NOT PLANTED A TREE, YOU HAVE MISSED SOMETHING WONDERFUL IN YOUR LIFE

Environmentalist U.S. Moinuddin

BANGALORE: On the 5^th of June,   World Environment Day, 2015, in Support of One Tree By One Person was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the Magnifique Public School, One Tree by One Person Campus, on Kanakapura Main Road.

The green event, in a serene location, attracted a huge crowd that consisted of people of all age groups. The event was educational and entertaining.

 Environmentalist U.S. Moinuddin the Founder of the global environment movement, One Tree By One Person introduced the concept of the movement to the audience and said, “To plant a sapling and seeing it grow is a wonderful feeling. If you have not planted a tree, you have missed something wonderful in your life.”He further stated, “If space constraint is stopping you from planting a sapling near your home, there is always a possibility that you can find a place somewhere near to your office, school, college, or even your native village, where you can ask someone to take care of it, on your behalf.”

The dignitaries that attended the event consisted of fitness experts, educationists, scientists, musicians and filmmakers.

Tilotamma Shrinivasa, CTO of Peach Engineering Private Limited, introduced to the audience the use of Honge seeds as Biofuel and its utility in running engines and gensets.

Motivational Speaker for fitness and environment, Wanitha Ashok said, “It was my privilege to be at Magnifique Public School campus on the World Environment day. It was a moment of happiness to be a part of One Tree By One Person and get into history. I appreciate U.S. Moinuddin for so passionately involving in spreading the awareness about environment. Exposure to environment conservation and caring for plants should start at an early age. We have only one planet to stay in, so let’s take good care of it.”

CEO and MD of AIME Bangalore, Bilu M.V, said, “Our government should encourage all NGO’s to support One Tree By One Person. It is an amazing environment movement for a greener and better tomorrow.”

Filmmaker and MD of Foresee, Bala Gandhekar said, “One Tree By One Person is an amazing initiative, I strongly believe that every individual should take this very seriously and support the movement by plant a sapling each.”

Chairman of Aryan Education Academy, and Chief Executive Editor of Cheer Times magazine, Dr. S. Mazhar Nawaz, said, “I am very glad to be a part of One Tree by One Person. I appreciate the sincere efforts of U.S. Moinuddin for his outstanding efforts, in mobilizing and engaging the public for tree planting. I am looking forward for One Tree By One Person to reach every corner of our nation and also beyond.”

Nayeem A.R. CEO and M.D. Peach Engineering Private Limited said, “One Tree By One Person is a unique and practical concept. Together, let us join hands to make the Earth, a greener place to live in.”

 The dignitaries planted Mahogany trees during the occasion. Many students from various schools and colleges participated in the painted faces and crazy environmental costumes event. Skits were also played by a group of students giving the message of environmental conservation. One group of students enacted a play called ‘Today’s Chipko Movement.’

Rakesh Achyutha performed songs from his hit Kannada and Hindi album Rocky’s Seven Windows. The crowd enjoyed and left home with great memories.

 Professor Udipi Shrinivasa , Emeritus, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science was also present in the event.

TREE EXPLORERS CLUB: A UNIT OF ONE TREE BY ONE PERSON

 Environmentalist, Author and Educationist U.S. Moinuddin with Founder of Sustainable World Project  Richard Alexander and the Magnifique Public School Staff

Bangalore: Tree Explorers Club, which is a unit of the global environment movement One Tree by One Person, was recently launched for the students of Magnifique Public School on Kanakapura Main Road.

The idea of the club is to create awareness about different varieties of trees in our environment. Making of projects based on environmental issues, visits to the nurseries to explore the different varieties of indoor and outdoor plants, rain water harvesting, nature walks that include the studying of flora and fauna of the region, effects on the forests due to the human intervention, are some of the topics which the club intends to deal with.

Founder Secretary of Magnifique Group of Educational Institutions U.S. Moinuddin who is also an internationally known environmentalist and an author initiated the opening of the club. He Said, “There are hundreds of varieties of trees in our environment. But, most of the people are unable to identify even the commonly found trees. Hence, with this initiative we intend to create the awareness to the students from an earlier age. Further, we want the students to get emotionally connected with the trees as though they are the members of their families." Moinuddin also said that environment based clubs should be started in all the schools and colleges so that awareness about the roles of trees in our environment gets created and merciless cutting down of trees gets restricted.

The opening of Tree Explorers Club

Richard Alexander a Dutch national, who is the Founder of ‘Sustainable World Project’ and the Author of the internet book “The Young World Leader Program,” participated in the event. He said, “Tree Explorers Club is a wonderful initiative. I am sure the students are going to benefit a lot from this. This will also encourage them to be more considerate towards nature and its creations. Eventually, it will help them in becoming better human beings.”

Divyashree a student of tenth standard said, “Tree explorers club will also help us to know some of the rare varieties of trees. Learning about trees in the green campus of Magnifique Public School is going to be a beautiful experience to the students.”

Recently, as part of the initiative, students learnt about the benefits of the coconut tree and also elaborate discussions were done about the different varieties of Bamboos such as Green Bamboo, Golden Bamboo, and Buddha’s Belly.  Also, the use of Bamboo in different cultures across the world was discussed. 

"ELEMENT 14" PLANTS MELIA DUBIA SAPLINGS IN "ONE TREE BY ONE PERSON" CAMPUS

 

US Moinuddin with the Element 14 team

Bangalore:  It was a pleasant Saturday morning, and a group of employees from a leading electronics component distributor, Element 14, arrived at the Magnifique Public School, One Tree by One Person campus on Kanakapura Main Road as part of a tree planting activity under the initiative called as Tree Toppers club.

The Element 14 team

 Saplings of “Melia Dubia,” the tree which is known for its fast growth and forming an effective green cover, were planted in the campus by the enthusiastic team. Suddenly, the sky darkened and the sudden burst of rain did not deter the team from completing their assignment.

The Element 14 team planting Melia Dubia saplings

 From quite some time, Element 14 has been gifting saplings to their employees during their birthdays as a gesture to go green. Environmentalist and Founder of One Tree by One Person, US Moinuddin who accompanied the team from Element 14 for the planting of saplings, said, “It is very heartening to know that many multinational companies are exhibiting a strong desire to contribute their efforts for safeguarding the environment. The team from Element 14 is enthusiastic, and they shall have all the cooperation from One Tree by One Person for their environment related initiatives.”

Note:  Melia Dubia is known as, Heb-bevu, Betta-bevu, Huch-bevu, and Thur-bevu in Kannada

ATTEMPT TO MAKE “ONE TREE BY ONE PERSON” THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MOVEMENT OF INDIA

School students in support of One Tree by One Person

Bangalore(15th August 2014): Independence Day was celebrated in great style in the Magnifique Public School, One Tree by One Person campus on Kanakapura Main Road.  

 Environmentalist, Educationist and Author U.S. Moinuddin distributing saplings at the Magnifique Public School, One Tree by One Campus, during the Independence Day celebrations

It was an Independence Day with a difference, in which students, teachers and Parents of the students participated in an event which gave emphasis for environment related issues. During the event, freedom from Pollution, freedom from Global Warming, freedom from Garbage were the slogans which were chanted by the students of the school.

Well-known Environmentalist, Educationist and Author, U.S. Moinuddin, unfurled the national flag and provided valuable insight to the students about the freedom struggle. Patriotic songs were sung by the students and small skits were enacted by the students depicting the freedom struggle of India.

Later, many saplings were distributed to the people present at the occasion from the “Free Tree Shop,” which is a unit of One Tree by One Person.

While distributing the saplings U.S. Moinuddin said, “Trees are a wonderful creation of nature, we need to respect them as we are dependent on them for our survival.” Further, he also said, “We are requesting school and college authorities to promote the concept of One Tree by One Person across their institutions. In the interest of safeguarding our environment, we are also trying to make One Tree by One Person as the National Environment Movement of India.”

BEO of Bangalore South Range -1, K. Prakash spoke to U.S. Moinuddin and congratulated him for his environment related initiative. He said, “One Tree by One Person is a very realistic movement. We shall extend our full support for the movement.  Also, we shall do our level best to promote it across the schools so that awareness gets created among the children from an earlier age.”

Divyashree. C, a student of tenth standard who received a Neem sapling, said, “I shall plant it in front of my house and take care of it as though it is a member of my family.”

This was one event, in which the awareness of freedom struggle and the awareness about conserving trees went hand in hand.

US MOINUDDIN EXPERIMENTS WITH TEA SAPLINGS IN BANGALORE

Tea Plants in Ooty, alluring the sight of nature lovers

A fascination which I had developed as a child to grow tea plants in Bangalore took me to the sprawling tea estates of Ooty. Here, I purchased a few tea saplings from a beautiful and luxuriant tea estate. When I returned to Bangalore after five days, I planted them in the Magnifique Public School, One Tree by One Person campus on Kanakapura Main Road.   Remarkably, the saplings survived and new leaves began to sprout from the plants, in about three months the plants increased in size.

Environmentalist US Moinuddin with a tea sapling in the Magnifique Public School, One Tree by One person campus

 Creating a cool environment for the tea plants to survive proved to be a challenge. But, the shade of the trees in the surroundings with sparse sunlight penetrating through the branches provided the right atmosphere for the saplings to survive.  Manure prepared from the dead and decayed plant leaves (Humus) acted as the perfect fertilizer for the plants.  Experimenting with tea plants to make them grow  in the climate of Bangalore became an interesting venture. Watching the plants every day to discover new sprouting leaves has become a practice which I wholeheartedly enjoy.

Tea or Camellia sinensis  is an evergreen plant grown in more than 30 countries.  But the five biggest producers of tea are China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey.  After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. 

US Moinuddin at a tea plantation in Ooty

One essential requirement for the growth of the tea plant is plenty of rainfall. It is usually grown at higher altitudes. However in some tea growing countries such as Sri Lanka, tea is also grown and harvested at lower altitudes producing a different flavour and variety of tea called Ceylon Tea. Cool mornings with a light mist help the plants to shield themselves from the Sun. Too much of sunlight causes the plants to mature slowly. The temperature below 12° C and above 32° C are not favourable for the growth of tea as there is hardly any growth in the tea plant.

However, when a tea plant is left to grow wild it becomes a large tree growing to a height of 30 feet or more. But, in tea plantations the pruning and plucking keeps the plants at waist level. There is a tea tree in Yunnan province, in the South Western China, which is 800 years old with a huge sturdy trunk and stands 60 feet in height. Incredibly, it still provides good tea.

Proper cultivation requires careful elimination of weeds, systematic manuring and application of fertilizers. Shade trees are also grown among the tea bushes. They bring down the temperature, raise humidity and replace the nitrogen in the soil. There are different varieties of tea of which the most popular are Black Tea, Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and White Tea.  All the teas come from the same plant, but it is the difference in their processing which changes its physical structure and taste. Black tea is the most popular, this goes through the full oxidation or fermentation process.

Acres of lush green tea plantations in Ooty

 Manufacturing of tea is a rather interesting process. After the leaves are plucked and collected in baskets they are bought to a roadside collection point to be weighed. Then the leaves are sent to the factory, the tea factory is usually a three to four storey building . The first stage of processing is withering which is carried out by spreading out the green leaves evenly on the racks. Here, the leaves are left for 8 to 24 hours, during which time the leaves lose moisture and become flaccid. Next, they are brought down and fed into the rolling machines. These are large metal cylinders which rotate and assist in breaking and twisting the leaves inside the rollers. This process releases the leaves natural juices and enzymes and they begin to change colour, releasing a fresh and tangy apple-like smell that so pleasantly surrounds a tea factory. They leave the rollers in warm, twisted lumps and then these are fed into coarse sieves to be cooled and broken up. The sieves, known as roll-breakers, have a shaking and filtering action. The fine, tender leaves known as first quality come through the sieve first and are removed. The remaining leaves are rerolled and again put on the roll-breakers, the process is repeated many times to produce second, third and fourth qualities.

The next stage is oxidation, more commonly known as fermentation, where the leaves absorb oxygen. In the fermentation room the different qualities are thinly spread on trays in a cool humid atmosphere.  This process which may take up to three hours gives tea its bright copper colour and also its flavour and aroma.

The drying or the firing stage follows. The leaves are put on moving trays in a large drying chamber, through which a continuous blast of hot air is forced. This takes about half an hour and stops further oxidisation, after which the tea is fit for drinking.

Almost all the tea is plucked by hand and it is a delicate and skilled operation. In most of the Asian countries, plucking is done by the nimble fingers of women and girls. It is said that the smallness, agility and patience of the feminine hands are necessary for quantity and quality plucking. In India, a skilled plucker working for eight hours in a day can harvest 32 to 36 Kilograms of tea leaves sufficient to produce about 9 Kilograms of manufactured black tea.

By heating tea leaves as soon as they are harvested, fermentation is avoided and the result is Green tea. This type of processing preserves the tea's health benefits. Green tea is largely consumed in China and Japan. Subsequently, there has been a growing demand for green tea across America and Europe as people have become more aware of its health benefits.

Oolong tea is semi oxidised and it has the characteristics of black and green tea.  Like the green tea, Oolong tea is considered to be effective in reducing cholesterol levels, treatment of digestive disorders, strengthening of immune system and formation of stronger bones.

White tea comes from the buds and leaves of the tea plant, the leaves and buds are allowed to wither in natural sunlight before they are minimally processed to prevent oxidation or further tea processing. The fine silvery-white hair on the unopened buds of the tea plant gives it a whitish appearance, hence it is called white tea. This tea is predominantly grown in the Fujian province of China. White tea is also well known for its detoxifying and antioxidant benefits.

India’s 1.24 Billion people are passionate about tea. With many people, the day begins with a cup of hot tea in their hand. Eventually, it energises them and makes their day beautiful.

By and large, drinking tea is one healthy habit that can keep you and your family fit and fine to face everyday challenges of life.

                                                  US Moinuddin

       Author, Environmentalist, Educationist, Motivational Speaker

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: US MOINUDDIN PRAISES VIKRAM HOSPITAL’S "GREEN INITIATIVE"

 Environmentalist US Moinuddin, Sudhir Pai, Executive Director and CEO Vikram Hospitals,  Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, MLA from Malleshwaram,  Smt. Vijayakumari Kumar, Corporator of  Palace Guttahalli  and others during the opening of the Municipal park in Palace Guttahalli, during the World Environment Day Celebrations 

 BANGALORE: Bangalore is renowned for its greenery and its clean environment, and thus, it earned the title “Garden City of India”. But, the alarming level of pollution hike in the city is acting as a black tint to the city’s shine and culture. Being a citizen of India, it is our Fundamental Duty to conserve and preserve the environment which we live in. But, we often forget the mightier role played by our mother nature in our daily lives and in order to remind ourselves, we  celebrate the Environment Day on June 5^th every year,  as a part of our tribute to the environment and the ecosystem.

Vikram Hospital, one of the country’s leading Multispeciality hospital is giving life to a dying out municipal park in   Palace Guttahalli, Bellary Road.  Vikram Hospital is contributing greatly towards the regeneration of the park as a token of appreciation on this Environment Day. The Hospital is also planning to give away tree saplings to the public as a part of the ecosystem rejuvenation awareness campaign in the pollution driven ecosystem of today.

Watering a freshly planted sapling during the World Environment Day

Environmentalist and Founder of “One Tree by One Person” US Moinuddin who was present in the event said, “It is a wonderful feeling when hospitals extend their helping hand to safeguard our environment. Vikram Hospital’s initiative of developing a park and also distributing saplings to the people is a great gesture of service to mankind. In a quest to make our lives better, we are over utilizing our natural resources. The forests and green cover of the cities are decreasing; concrete jungles have mushroomed after clearing away a large number of trees, creating an unsafe environment for the future generations.”

Sudhir Pai, Executive Director and CEO Vikram Hospital's interacting with US Moinuddin

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Sudhir Pai, Executive Director and CEO, Vikram Hospitals said, “We being the country’s leading Multispeciality Hospital have a moral duty to perform towards the Mankind and the Environment. After going through a lot of thought process, we have chosen the municipal park to be regenerated as it’s the first learning ground for children, who are the future of India. They have the right to grow up the way we did in our past in a much healthier environment. We are very happy to be part of this initiative as we are contributing our part to the justice which is deserved by the mother nature. We also welcome the entire family members of our mother earth to join in this cause to serve her on this particular day.”

Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, MLA from Malleshwaram, Smt. Vijayakumari Kumar, Corporator of Palace Guttahalli were also present in the event.

INAUGURATION OF PARK ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

VIKRAM HOSPITAL ON MILLER'S ROAD

BANGALORE: As a premium healthcare provider in Bengaluru, Vikram Hospital strongly believes in providing a healthy environment and promoting healthy lifestyle for the benefit of the society at large, through excellence in healthcare delivery.

ENVIRONMENTALIST, US MOINUDDIN

To take this initiative forward, Vikram Hospital has renovated and developed the BBMP Park at Palace Guttahalli, on Bellary Road, and proposes to inaugurate the park for public use on 5^th June – World Environment Day, in which Environmentalist and Founder of  One Tree by One Person US Moinuddin will participate.

The aim of this hospital is to encourage citizens of Bengaluru, especially the youth, to plant trees and do their bit in contributing to the Mother Nature which doesn’t expect anything from humans in return.  A healthy environment and healthy lifestyle can impact positively for one’s health to lead a healthier life.   Vikram Hospital invites people of all walks of life to take part in this initiative in maintaining and restoring gardens of Garden City Bengaluru.

Vikram Hospital is taking this initiative forward by giving away free saplings to the patients who get discharged from the Hospital. The patients will carry the message of a greener Bengaluru, by planting the saplings and nurturing them till adulthood.

The management of the hospital feels that their association with ‘One Tree by One Person’ will surely help them to reach out to the masses and spread the message to all Bengalurians.

VIKRAM HOSPITAL BENGALURU

# 71/1, Miller’s Road

Opp: St. Anne’s College
Bangalore – 560 052

Karnataka (INDIA)

Ph:   +91 80 7100 4500

Mob: +91 98 8070 4186

www.vikramhospital.com

Email:vcare@vhpl.com