treesforfree.org in a La Presse- a Canadian Newspaper!

It's all french to us, but's it's most welcome. And guess what? We've got a response too. All the way from across the seven seas. See www.cyberpresse.ca

for treesforfree, every day is environment day!

Every single day, our lifestyle scars mother earth.

Acknowledging this on just one day of the year with a few slogans/putting up a few posters/ picking up litter/ even planting a tree or two is no consolation. The harm is being caused non-stop. The healing should also be non stop.

Which is why we plant through the year. And this planting would not have been possible without the help of people like you who help us find places to plant the trees, who donate to buy the trees, and of course raise awareness about how trees help heal the earth.

This world environment day, we urge you to download this campaign of 3 images, upload them wherever you think appropriate, forward them, set them as your wallpaper, encourage others to do so...and of course rekindle your enthusiasm to plant as many trees as possible to cool the globe and heal the earth.

Thank you in advance.

Treesforfree.org in India Today!

Local media recognition is good. But when you are featured in a leading national magazine, it's indeed an honour.

"Stop crying over cut trees. Start planting." says Janet to Praja Vani

'THE' Tree Lady...in Deccan Chronicle

treesforfree.org in Deccan Herald's 'green initiaves'

Of all things 'green', what, pray, could be more green than tree planting?

Janet-Mother of treesforfree.org. Also mother of 11,550 trees!

Planting trees-Reviving Bangalore-DNA newspaper

Tree planting is no Monkey business- DNA newspaper

Janet speaks her mind in THE HINDU

treesforfree.org featured in DNA!

 

Peepul Tree=People Tree

 

Indeed.

Kind attn: All donors who want trees to be planted in a specific location only.

"I want to plant 5 trees. But i want to plant them in an orphanage or old age home only."

"Our company would like to plant 50 trees on so&so day. But we want to plant them near our office itself. Or on some main road where lots of people will see it."

"I want to plant 20 trees. But i don't want to plant it in this apartment complex where all these rich people stay. I want to plant it in a place where people can't afford it."

We hear comments like these almost on a daily basis. It surprises us as to how the whole purpose of philanthropy, of giving, of offering service is utterly defeated. The purpose of giving is to benefit others and dissolve one's ego. The idea is to be selfless, without expecting anything in return.

It's surprising how many expectations people and organisations come with, all in the name of selfless service. Today, giving, to a great extent, is done to boost the ego or gain publicity and media mileage. We're ok as long as the trees are being planted. But then that raises another issue-the donors' insistence that the trees have to be planted in a specific location only. Else, they're not interested.

As an answer to this, we have an analogy.

We think donating money for trees is a lot like donating blood. You donate blood because you want to heal a sick person. Similarly, you plant trees because you want to heal the earth. While donating blood, you don't specify that my blood should only be given to a Hindu, or a Muslim or a Jew or a Black or a White. You simply give because you want to help.

Shouldn't the spirit be the same while giving trees too?

You simply give because you want many beings to benefit. You don't say, "i am planting this tree for the benefit of squirrels only. Or for the monkeys only. Or for my viewing pleasure only." You plant trees because you want to do some good.

Cutting a tree in any part of the world affects the whole world. The temperature of the whole planet increases and cause global warming. Not American warming or Russian Warming or Indian warming. Similarly, a tree planted in any part of the world helps cool the temperature of the earth as a whole and heal the earth as a whole. It doesn't matter where the trees are planted as long as they're planted.

Maybe it's time to see the big picture. Maybe it's time to see that we are all an indivisible part of nature and that all divisions exist only in our minds. Maybe it's time we realised that we are all connected and by helping one we are helping all.

treesforfree.org coverage on real estate channel.

Bengaluru Pages profiles Janet's greening mission.

 

treesforfree tees make for global cool gifts!

 

No, we're not saying it. A Bangalore based magazine "Bengaluru Pages" is doing so. They listed our cool-make that global cool- tees as a green gifting options.

treesforfree in the mid-day.

 

blog to blog via newspaper

 

Bangalore Mirror, a local daily prints "what's hot" in the blog world regulalry. This is the seond post from our blog that they've published. We are most grateful.

What's a family without a tree?

 

In an age where most parents celebrate their kid's first birthday's with utmost fanfare and loud crowds, here's a couple who are a far cry from the madding crowd. Instead of calling party organisers and booking a hall, this couple called Janet and booked an appointment to plant a tree to celebrate their daughter's first birthday.
The appointment was for 7:30 am, for the volunteer who was arranging for the planting had to leave for work after that.
The child's father asked if it could be pushed to 8'o clock instead. Apparently the little birthday girl was a late riser and could only make it by 8. The volunteer's office could wait. The appointment was pushed to 8.

The next morning, while the pit was being dug by a volunteer, the couple arrived, holding a half-awake little bundle. With utmost enthusiasm they planted a 'sampige' tree, a replacement for a 'sampige' tree requested by an old man who passed away recently, with at least one wish fulfilled. The family tamped down the freshly dug wet earth. With their hands on the ground and the earth as witness, their silent prayers rose up to the skies. A silent celebration it was. Undoubtedly unconventional. Undoubtedly an unforgettable experience for this family whose daughter's birthday celebrations will last as long as the tree does, if not longer. As the couple watered the young tree into its new home, the impressionable little birthday girl quietly watched her parents. She had just learned a most valuable lesson of life. The volunteer noticed that the tree, like the couple with their daughter, had a little flower bud. A sign of promised beauty. A sign of hope. A sign for our times.

treesforfree.org's design acknowledged as among the world's best 'green' design.

the book cover

 

the pages featuring treesforfree.org

 

Design Ecology! is a book by German author Verlag Hermann Schmidt Mainz, that showcases the world's best 'green' design. The book has a comprehensive coverage of the design work done for treesforfree.org, Janet's planting activities, the 'THE BIRDS' T-shirt design, and acknowledges the talent behind all the work. All in German! Team treesforfree.org, take a bow.

treesforfree.org's new tee!

 

 

 

Everybody loves a tree planter. Even monkeys :)
Selling @ 250 INR each. Buy as many as you can and help us plant more trees for the monkeys:)
Write to rajanetyeg at gmail . com

deccanchronicle profiles janet and her green dream!

 

tree planting as a newspaper cover story- the future sure looks green!

 

 

 

It is heartening to wake up and see a newspaper cover story that shows the future generations planting trees for the benefit of future generations. So full of hope. So inspiring. So much in contrast to the negativity that's shown otherwise.
The first two images are of the cover story. The third one is the reader's feedback that appeared a day later. Hope, as any tree planter would say, surely springs eternal.

treesforfree.org's 3rd anniversary- everyone's invited!

 

Here's to the naysayers who said trees stop cooling the globe once they get old.

 

This article in the Deccan Herald (dated 29-09-2008) proves that everyone who's been planting trees-like treesforfree and its donors, volunteers and well-wishers- to cool the globe have been doing the right thing all along. End of argument. Now get back to planting trees.

treesforfree blog post appears in bangalore mirror.

 

In case you haven't already read it in the form of an earlier blog entry, read it now as a newspaper article. After all, it was printed-as is :)

treesforfree- leading the green crusade in Bangalore.

 

A heartening article in the Indian Express featuring treesforfree. Janet's direct and immediate opinion on what needs to be on the green front was published-as is. Here's to the power of the press.

trees-a truly thoughtful return birthday gift.

Just when you thought parenting gen-x was all about fuelling their fixation for games, gizmos and gas guzzlers, this 'birthday return gift' comes a breath of tree-fresh air. Instead of giving a run of the mill 'return gift' - a set of crayons, a pencil box, a bag or a ball- to kids who already have a growing collection of the same stuff, these parents decided to not follow the herd. They decided to do something more meaningful instead. They planted a tree, as a return gift, for every kid who attended their son's birthday party. To top it all, they created a truly creative card. A wonderful example they've set. Not just for kids. But for parents too. May their tribe increase:)

Ah! the merits of planting trees!

A story goes that a wicked man once unintentionally watered a sapling while washing his hands. On account of this he was rewarded with a one day stay in heaven.

This story could very well be more than just a story, if one just glances at a few sayings of some saints, seers and wise men, from across the world.

"The merits gained by planting trees for the benefit of other last forever."
-Buddha

“Those who cut down good trees shall see never a sign of blessing”
-Tosefta, B'khorim II

“One who plants five mango trees does not go to hell"
-Dharamashastra

“The trees that a man plants are, according to both reason and the scriptures, the children of the planter.”
-Veda Vyasa

"A son is equal to ten deep reservoirs of water and a tree planted is equal to ten sons".
-Matsyapurana

“Unable to go on a pilgrimage? Plant a tree. It’s just as meritorious.”
-Indian Scriptures

“One who plants three neem trees does not go to hell”
- Old Indian saying

“Even if there is only one tree full of flowers and fruits in the village, that place becomes worthy of worship and respect.”
-Mahabharata

“The groves were God's first temples.”
- William Cullen Bryant


Planting trees may get you a ticket to heaven. Or it may not. But the fact remains that without trees, life on earth would be a living hell. Amen.

ah! the joys of greening a village!

The greening of this village had its beginnings in the most unlikely of places. At a birthday party. One of our volunteers ended up in his old buddy's house with his buddy's new friends. He didn't know them too well. Conversation was sparse. They were mostly techies with their own set of jokes. He just laughed along with them, not because he found them funny, but simply because laughter is contagious.
Anyway after a while, the tree planting genes in him took center stage and he was explaining how trees were being planted in the bangalore soil(silicon valley, to the techie) and how they could be a part of it. The discourse paid off. Two people wanted to plant a tree each and bought a treesforfree 'gift certificate' that the well equipped volunteer readily whisked out of his bag.

But that wasn't all.

One of the techies was curious for longer than his brethren. It turned out that he had a country cousin(quite literally) who hailed from a village on the outskirts of bangalore. And his cousin was a part of a youth group who worked for the welfare of the Gunjur village community and also planted trees, as part of their program.
He wanted to know if treesforfree planted trees in rural areas too.

"No, we haven't planted in villages as yet, but we'd love to." said the volunteer. After all, villages have the luxury of space and more so, they understand the value of trees more than city dwellers do. They view trees as rainmakers, as life savers and as abodes of the gods. If veneration for trees is alive, it resides in the villages.

Numbers were exchanged. The rest, as they say, iss tree planting history.

Janet got a few calls. Janet made a few calls. She visited the village and surveyed it. She took a BBMP official along and got him to survey it. He sanctioned free tree guards for the entire project! (God bless him!) The donations for the trees miraculously poured in. The pits were dug.

And on a sunny weekend, The Gunjur village youth association, the village school children, elders and of course Janet and her tree planting squad had a field day.

And the village was richer by 1000 trees!!

The BBMP oficials who came to inspect the site and provide tree guards fell victim to the deadly OCTPS virus (Obsessive Compulsive Tree Planting Syndrome). As a result, they ended up planting 2,500 trees around a few lakes in the same village!

Raising the total number to 3,500 trees!!!

We can rest assured that these trees will be around, healing the environment and providing for countless beings for many years because, thankfully, the juggernaut of 'development' prefers to haunt the urban areas.

janet and her volunteers. profiled by the times of india!

hail treesforfree.org!

PAGE, a leading German design magazine has featured the GOLD CLIO award winning work done for treesforfree.org. Although we can't understand what they've written about us, sharing the stage with the world's best designers sure feels great. Hail!

wear a treesforfree.org tee. let the world know you love trees.

Currently, they're available only in this hue of blue in sizes, S,M, L & XL. If you'd like to add this to your wardrobe and make a green statement, please contact us. They cost 250 Rupees each.

gift a treesforfree gift certificate. give a gift that keeps giving.

The next time you're looking for a gift, please consider giving a treesforfree.org gift certificate. It looks and feels just like any "gift voucher". Just that it's a lot more than a cool gift. It's a "global cool" gift. That's because each certificate helps plant a tree that absorbs greenhouse gases and cools the globe.

This tree will be around for many many years, healing the earth, and providing for countless beings, day and night, non stop. We can't think of many gifts that can match up to this. The best part is, it costs just 100 rupees to gift 1 tree. So, for the budget that one usually has for gifts, many trees can be gifted.

But have you ever wondered why we give gifts in the first place?

We'd like to think that gifts are a way of sharing. A way of showing that we care for each other. A healthy habit that cuts across cultures and forges relationships.

We all gift because we can't go empty handed to a particular occasion. But if you think about it, how many of the gifts we give are actually needed? Are actually useful? More often than not, we give just for the sake of giving.

So the next time you're thinking of giving a gift, we urge you to also give it a thought and consider gifting a tree planting certificate.

The ones who receive it will surely be touched by it.
And nature will thank you for it.

treesforfree.org's planthathon in the times of India!

Apart from concerned citizens, we're hoping all the CEOs, CFOs and CSR department heads who care about bangalore read this. And do something about it.

treesforfree.org's "Plantathon" in the Indian Express!

Marathon- An event where people run the streets to raise awareness and funds to further medical research.

Walkathon- An event where people walk the streets to raise awareness for feeding the poor.

So why not have a 'Plantathon'? An event where people take to the streets, but instead of walking or running, they plant trees along the streets. They raise awareness and funds. They increase the green cover which triggers off a healing chain reaction and above all, decreases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and cools the globe?

If we can improve our situation by the tiniest measure, and while we're at it, have some fun digging in the dirt, why not?

So, that's what we're doing. We're having a Plantathon! And we're having a blast!
But we don't want to keep all this joy to ourselves. We'd like everyone else(the whole world, if possible) to join in, plant trees and enjoy themselves.

So, to take the message to the world (ok, not the world, but to Bangloreans) our volunteers formed a human chain at the traffic junction opposite Cubbon park. They held hands. They held up the signature treesforfree.org *starbursts* . They held on till the skies held up. For, very soon, the heavens burst open and it rained cats and dogs. (We, at treesforfree.org have a suggestion to nature's powers that be: next time it rains, please consider raining trees, as their population is declining, unlike that of acts and dogs who clearly don't seem to have a problem.)

The good news is that the press crew from Indian Express got our pictures in time and got the message across. But in case you still haven't got it, here it is:

Help us plant as many trees as possible. We're planting 2000 trees through the month of June. We're hoping you'll help us plant a million times more (ok, ok, not a million, but you get the intention). Please consider gifting trees to mark any special occasion. Encourage others to do so. Become a monthly tree planting member. Encourage others to do so. Donate. Ask your company to donate. Join the plantathon in any way you can.

Remember, every tree counts.

treesforfree.org wins merit One Show Award at New York for public service radio!

The One show awards are the Oscars of advertising. It is a fiercely competed award with hundreds of agencies sending thousands of entries from across the world. And the simple radio spot done for treesforfree.org made it. Chirp! Chirp!

treesforfree.org wins Clio Gold Award at Miami for Environmental Design !

The “Bangalore Mirror” newspaper article (click on the first image) says it all.
Now if you know anyone who knows the powers that be in Cubbon Park, please let them know what happened to an idea that they rejected (they pulled down these starbursts that were conveying the benefits of trees to hundreds of kids and families). Please ask them if they would like to put up these signs once again. For the benefit of many.

Planting trees in memory of a mother. And healing mother earth.

Trees are a lot like mothers.

They only give selflessly without expecting anything in return. They nourish, they shelter and they nurture. They're always there to listen to you. You can hug them anytime you're feeling low and know that they'll comfort you. You can turn to them anytime, and they'll never disappoint.

Through the changing seasons, they remain grounded in reality, thus inspiring us with their example to remain equanimous through the ups and downs of life.

Quite like mothers who dish out delicacies from seemingly ordinary ingredients, trees too produce fruits and medicines and flowers and leaves from mere dirt and decaying matter.

Trees, like mothers, have the limitless capacity to provide for children other than her own. Be in an ant or an elephant, a tree knows no distinction. It just provides everything it can.

Trees, like mothers, love unconditionally. An angry person who throws stones at a tree will only get a soothing shower of flowers and fruits in return.

Quite aptly, Deepak Joshi, an advertising professional, planted 100 trees as a living tribute to his mother. These are a few pictures from the planting of the first 50 trees in location that any mother would approve of - a children's school.

Our fundraising box- raises eyebrows too.

"But haven't you cut a tree to make this?"
"On one hand, you plant trees. On the other, you cut trees to make these?"
"But by buying this, aren't you increasing the demand for wood and cutting more trees?"

Our fund raising box is used to hearing comments like these.

It's also used to seeing people immediately pull out their wallets and fill it with donations.

In the end, it receives more donations from optimistic souls than comments from pessimistic ones.

treesforfree volunteers often point out to the fine print on the donation box. It reads "Made from existing logged wood."

But it hardly makes a difference to the naysayers' skeptical mind so intent on finding fault that it fails to see where it's coming from and what it's leading to.

The way we see it, we're using dead tree trunks for a specific reason. We're using it to highlight an alarming statistic. A burning issue that needs our attention. Right here. Right now.

As you read this, trees are being felled. To meet your needs. To meet my needs. To meet all our needs. And often it's to meet our greed than need. But we're not leaving it at that. We're also offering a solution. We're inviting one and all to be a part of the solution to a problem that affects one and all.


Also, we don't go out there and cut trees. Nor do we buy first grade wood. We only use junk wood that would otherwise end up as firewood. And we're trying to use it for the common good. Not to make money or to please our fancy.

Still not convinced? Then we have two things to say to you.
1. We've planted more than enough trees to compensate for the wood we've used to make these boxes.
2. Get well soon.

A treesforfree.org film.

We hope this film inspires many to plant trees. For the benefit of many.

0 to 200 trees in 6 hours!

It's everywhere these days. Call it a new-age misnomer. Call it a case of mistaken identity. Call it what you want but you can't ignore it. Places and people with names that completely contradict their true character.

A "Pine street" without a shadow of a pine tree. A "Sampige road" without the faintest whiff of a sampige flower. A "Tropical paradise" that has as many trees as a desert. As it turned out, we ended up in a "garden city" - a private residential community - starved of trees.

The target for the day was to plant 200 trees.

It was a sultry Saturday morning. Janet's volunteers along with residents of the layout and 30 girls from Sarvagya, an aided school for girls run by Janet's sister assembled under the shade of the only two trees the layout had-a giant peepul and a neem.

In true gurukul manner, treesforfree volunteers addressed the students. They were introduced to trees, the benefits of planting trees, and the role trees play in our lives. By the end of the talk, the girls were raring to go plant some trees.

After a quick round of tea, all tree saplings broke loose( from their pouches, that is) and went straight into the ground. One could have called it high-speed planting. The more experienced volunteers had a tough time keeping up and ensuring that the trees were planted, soil tamped down and watered properly.



While the plants were watered by the volunteers, the volunteers were served water by the grateful residents.

A sure sign of hope for the future were the holes excavated for planting. The holes had been dug by boring through layers of dense tarmac, stone boulders and dry dead mud. These holes were filled with living plants, fertile red earth and much hope.



As one set of volunteers left, another set of volunteers came in. The planting continued. And 200 trees were added to the garden city, bringing more than its name to life.

Homo(dern) sapien.

Only trees absorb greenhouse gases and cool the globe. No man made device can do this. This poster of ours' shows how our "modern" lifestyle, directly or indirectly, causes emissions of greenhouse gases and contributes to global warming.

It urges the viewer to plant trees and offset the emissions that one's lifestyle is responsible for. The actual poster stands 6 feet tall.

Everyone's invited!

Believe it or not- This neem tree talks!

Just when it seems like all gods and spirits have abandoned us, and our future is dark, this kannada newspaper article comes as a sunbeam of hope.

It reports of how a neem tree near Mulabagal, karnataka, halted the progress of a road expansion crew by speaking to them. "Leave me alone. Don't chop me." said the tree to the dumbfounded crew.

A tender coconut vendor, who hails from Mulabagal, met one of our volunteers and added that the tree also warned of a curse befalling the future generations of those who cut it. Curses befalling the families of those who cut trees like the sacred peepul tree is well known and deeply feared.

Although this fear seems to be evaporating from the hearts of those in south India, it is very much alive in the north. Gardeners in Delhi refuse to uproot even a tiny peepul tree sapling that has begun sprouting from a building wall even if they are offered up to 1000 rupees to do so. Morals over money. There is hope!

The article goes on to narrate how repeated efforts to chop the tree failed. An earth moving excavator that attempted to uproot the tree apparently "went back". And the tree refused to be pacified by shamans. "Leave me alone. Don't chop me." is what the tree kept saying.

The article ends by mentioning another tree -a mango tree- further down the same road that is guarded by a cobra that appears every time an attempt is made to chop it.

These trees are (hopefully still) on the Bangalore-Chennai-Tirupati highway. With tree spirits on the way and leading to the holy shrine of tirupati, this highway is attracting hordes of pilgrims and seekers.

What's a temple without trees?

Throughout history, across geographies and cultures, tree worship can be seen, in one form or the other.

This reverence, although often shrouded in mysticism and superstition, stems from a simple, universal fact of life:

“No trees. No life.”

However, simplicity, it turns out, doesn't appeal to the restless human mind.

NEW! IMPROVED!! ADVANCED!!! LOUDER!!! FASTER!!! That’s what the human mind pursues.

Our wise ancestors, who saw this during their time, and in the years to come, knew it would threaten the delicate balance of life. So to prevent an ecological disaster, they accorded trees with a sacred status.

The logic behind this was simple.

“What’s sacred cannot be harmed or destroyed. It can only be conserved. Thus ensuring a healthy population of trees (and a healthy planet with it.)” Simply genius!

Thus sacred groves were the earliest forms of conservation that can be found in all cultures. These groves were sacred places where trees and plants were allowed to grow undisturbed and where reptiles, birds and animals could live freely without fear of poaching or interference by man.

Sacred groves were the origin of the temples, whose columns were initially trees, and later of the Christian churches which still evoke it by the alignment of its pillars, the semidarkness within it, and the soft coloured light that filters through its stained glass windows.

As long as this fear of tree spirits and gods lived in the hearts of people, their lungs were filled with pure, fresh and clean air.

As with all things in life, this respect for trees also decayed and died.

And the effects are here for all to see. Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that traps the suns rays (better known as GLOBAL WARMING) which heats up the oceans which cause hurricanes and storms of greater intensity which shifts the climate pattern, which causes increased rainfall in some areas and drought and famine in other…and it only gets worse.

The point is, the ecological disasters we’re faced with today is a direct result of deforestation.

And hence afforestation, it seems, is the surest way to reverse this chain of events. But we're no test –tube- toting- jargon spewing -scientists -with reams- of- research- paper to flaunt.

We're just people who dig holes and plant trees in the hope of doing our bit.

So pardon our ignorance if the truth is otherwise and enjoy these pictures of trees we planted around a temple in a quiet residential layout near yelahanka, bangalore.

The ultimate green car ever?

In a world where electric cars, hybrid cars, solar cars, fuel cell cars and whatnot cars are trying to prove themselves a darker shade of green, here's one that beats every single one of them. Hands Down.

It has almost every shade of green imaginable. It offsets it's emissions on the go. It has 100% natural air conditioning. And comes with a uninterrupted supply of leaf fresh oxygen.

And this green machine belongs to janet, the founder of treesforfree.org.

You'll find her in the backseat under a green canopy of not one, but many trees. Enjoying the cool, natural breeze, talking on the phone, asking for directions to a tree planting site.

In this picture, the tender green leaves you see belongs to the most sacred tree of all-the peepul tree.

How many people in the world have the luxury of sitting under one in a traffic jam?

As far as space goes, janet shares it with the trees, the tree planting equipment, papers, snacks, water bottles, a small pillow to rest her neck, cut tree stumps (that double up as fundraising boxes), bumper stickers and maybe a volunteer to keep her company.

"It's very cramped. I wish i had a bigger vehicle that i can carry more saplings and tree guards and labourers." says Janet.

Hopefully, by the grace of all the tree spirits, someone will make Janet's wish come true.

"I want one of those!"

That's what this boy said when he saw a volunteer carrying a few tree saplings to be planted.

"You know, that'll grow into a big tree?", said the volunteer.

He nods.

"You know how to plant it?"

He nods.

"You know you need plenty of space to plant it?"

He nods again.

He says that his father does some gardening work, and knows to plant trees.

"I want one of those!", he repeats.

His sister stands behind him, watching with a tree-like expressionless gaze.

We tell him to join us and learn how to plant some trees.

As it turns out, the sapling he chose gets planted too. His eager smile makes way for an expression of part glum and part hope. We make him plant a tree and ask him to pose. Although the tree has already been planted, he poses like he's doing so, with the practiced poise of a seasoned politician.

His sister watches, with a gaze like RK Laxman's common man.

Once the picture's taken, he resumes his look of part glum and part hope expecting to go home with a sapling.

No one present there had the heart to dispappoint him.

He walked along with us to janet's car, loaded with saplings as always. Janet picked out the king of all saplings, the neem sapling, for him.

The result? Another set of poses and smiles with his prize posession :)

To free a christmas tree.

The best place for a tree is in the ground. In the womb of mother earth. Where it can take root, get all its nutrients, grow freely, flourish, and provide for the rest of mother earth's children.

And it's no different for a Christmas tree.

Yet somehow, over the years, the ill fated Christmas tree has be uprooted from the ground, constricted into a pot, dragged indoors, stunted, electrified and trimmed to suit man's whim's and fancies. All to spread some christmas cheer.

One such tree had managed to grow 9 feet tall in a pot. Any further growth could be best described as a struggle or a miracle.

Being a tree lover, the volunteer wanted to "free" it by planting it in the ground.
It was a case of "Seek and ye shall find".

As it tuned out, four months later, a Muslim wanted a Christmas tree in front of her house, in the ground. As the good lord said, "Ask and ye shall receive."

We merely played the role of a medium in completing the task and freeing the poor tree. And we got much help from some little angels (see pics).

If you have a Christmas tree that needs to be freed or have the space to free one, call and we shall come.

Future generations healing their future.

"You're sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree long ago."
said Warren Buffet.

"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."
said another person whose name got buried in the sands of time.

"Catch them young, teach them to plant trees and watch them grow."
is what we say. And do too.

Involving children plays a central role in the success of our tree planting activity. For, tomorrow, it is children who will decide the fate of the trees, of countless species, of the planet and the quality of their own lives with it.
Sensitizing them at a young impressionable age, is what we aim to do.

We might be around. We might not. But what matters most is what we leave behind. And we don't mean just more trees and a healthy ecosystem. We really need to leave behind a generation of healthy minds.

Of the many schools where we've planted trees, the most recent ones were GEAR International school. and St. Joseph's Boys school.

Kids and sand go hand in hand. Now imagine the teacher's ask the kids to dig around the ground, soil their hands, clothes and plant trees...ooh, it's every kid's fantasy come true. You should see it to believe it.

In the open air, under the open sky, even minds open up. And this is when we speak to the kids and sow seeds of nature care in their fertile minds.

What's a 'tropical paradise' without trees?

26th January. Republic Day. We set out to 'Tropical Paradise'. A residential layout where all similarity ended with the name. For this tropical paradise was severely parched for trees.

Our task for the day was to remedy this.

Luckily, it was a holiday. And there was no shortage of time and enthusiasm. Volunteers, residents and nature lovers poured in all day long. 170 trees were planted. Some of them were sponsored by Arteria technologies.

A small but sure step towards making tropical paradise what it was meant to be.

New trees and NRIs on the block.

Manjunatha layout. A newly formed residential area with a growing population of people and a scanty population of trees. A call came asking us to plant a few trees.

On the day of planting, a family who'd come down from El Salvador for their daughter's engagement to an NRI decided to leave behind more children than they had. They decided to plant/parent trees. For, according to the ancient Indian scriptures, the trees that one plants are, according to both reason and logic, ones children.






If there's one thing we've learned with our tree planting it's this:
Tree planting is contagious!Curious onlookers joined it. More queries came. And more trees had to be planted. So, schwarzenegger-like, we said that we'd be back.



This time, another NRI came along to plant 22 odd saplings. Somehow, the NRIs seem to want to improve their motherland. Makes us wonder if distance makes the heart grow fonder? Anyway, 50 trees went into the earth that day. And we went home with more requests.




A week later, armed with saplings and shovels we returned to do what we do best. We were pleasantly surprised-thrilled rather-to see that the residents had gone to great lengths to protect the saplings. Stones neatly arranged with thorny bushes around the saplings. All's well that ends well.

A big lesson from a small girl for a smaller world.

This is by far the most touching email we have ever received.
As long as there are blessed souls like these whose lives inspire others to act, there is hope for our little blue-green planet. May their tribe increase!

treesforfree.org in the deccan herald!

one of our volunteer's happens to write for deccan herald and also love trees.

making a big noise with a small budget- a convenient truth and more.

How do we spread the word that we plant trees for free?
Why, run an ad on primetime television, take a few hoardings in prime locations, blast our jingle on the radio. Easy does it.

Ah, if only our finds were as big as our thoughts.

So in our own little way, to raise awareness and funds, we printed thoughtful little yellow stickers (of course, this was sponsored by an ad agency who, well, do adsforfree for treesforfree).

Then to test these stickers, we set about painting the town yellow.

first we approached musicworld with a sticker "FREE BiRDSONG" and asked them if we could paste them on the new music cds. Strange looks and calls for permissions followed. But goodwill persisted. The stickers were put up. And the first picture was taken.



Encouraged by this little success, and armed with another set of stickers (this time "FREE FRUITS") we went in search of a fruit shop owner who would be happy to see more fruit trees planted (and see his fruit business thrive for many generations:). As luck would have it, we found a she instead of a he. After buying fruits worth about 250 rupees, she let us put up the stickers. And picture 2 was taken.



This one is our favourite. How do we let people know that trees cool the globe? Because while we can debate and argue and meet and have summits and all that scientific jazz about global warming, planting trees in the only thing we can do to absorb the already present greenhouse gases and cool the globe. So we approached bangalore's top DVD rental library -habitat- and asked them if they would be willing to circulate Al gore's award winning documentary on global warming AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH with our "FREE GLOBAL COOLING" sticker on it. Not only did they agree, but they also said that they'd donate all the money raised by circulating this DVD to plant trees. nature will surely bless these noble souls for their kindness. With much delight, we present picture# 3


Trees bring rain. A simple fact known to mankind since adam and eve,probably. Yet somehow, it's getting buried under the burden of all our advanced modern scientific knowledge. This vital, life saving common knowldge is soon becoming uncommon knowledge. So to bring ti back and make it a topic of discussion, we put these "FREE RAIN" stickers up on drinking water bottles. All thanks to the willing owners of Yogi's cafe-a newly opened joint in banashankari that serves an eclectic and ineteresting menu of teas, coffees, juices. ice creams and sandwiches. No sooner had we put up the stickers than we saw a couple of cocky guys cocking a snook at the stickers as they read aloud" FREE RAINAA?"
Like we always say, any publicity is good publicity for a good cause. So withou much fanfare here is picture #4

treesforfree's volunteers in bangalore mirror!

No trees were supposed to be planted on that day.
Not by us at least. Until uma, a die hard Bangalorean and tree lover, who's now in California, called one of our volunteers. She was to fly off in a couple of days. But before she left, she wanted to do something to improve the condition of the city she grew up in. As it turned out, she wanted to plant some trees.

She contacted a volunteer who contacted Janet. Janet said it was Christmas eve and the labourers were on leave. The volunteers offered to do all the labour work themselves. Janet had no reply. So the next morning volunteers assembled in janet's little castle like home bursting with greenery and blooming flowers. tree saplings were loaded in the cars and The first set of trees were planted at cartman- a park where a retired professor has painstakingly put together a fine collection of plants and information regarding the medicinal value of those plants. The place resembled a little urban jungle with few patches of sunlight streaming trough the dense foliage.

What's the point of planting trees in a place like this, one might ask?
Well, the idea was to add to the collection of Indian trees species in the park. And it also fun to plant trees. And the city could sure do with an extra tree, irrespective of where it is. So we planted about 6 trees in the park.

Off we went to the next planting site. A vacant plot under litigation that had turned into a rubbish landfill while it's owners were living the American dream. A concerned neighbour had the site cleaned up and decided to plant trees, keeping full faith in the speed of judgment of the Indian judicial system. We planted about 10 trees in and around the site.
Seeing us plant, passers by stopped to congratulate us, thank us, bless us, one acquaintance's stopped to entertain us with high well seasoned funny bone. Some neighbours asked us if we could plant more trees in the area. As the bible says, ask and ye shall receive. By the time we were done, we'd planted about 15 trees in 3 lanes.

And the next day's paper carried this article.



This article triggered off a green chain reaction, quite like a planted tree triggers off a healing chain reaction. And these appeared a day after the first article. (The way we see it, any publicity is good publicity. So long as the cause is good.)

The righteous tree.

In the Indian Epic, the Mahabharata, the lord of Righteousness, Dharma, appears as the Yaksha tree and questions his son on the right moral code of conduct. The following is an excerpt from the dialogue:

Q: What is weightier than the earth itself?
A: The mother is weightier than the earth.

Q: What is higher than the heavens?
A: The father is higher than the heavens.

Q: What is fleeter than the wind?
A: The mind is fleeter than the wind.

Q: What is more numerous than the grass?
A: The thoughts that arise in the mind.

Q: Who is the friend granted by the gods to man?
A: The wife is the friend granted by the gods.

Q: What is it, controlling which will lead to no regret?
A: The mind, if controlled, will never lead to regret.

Q: What is that, when renounced, makes one agreeable?
A: Pride, when renounced, makes one agreeable.

Q: Renouncing what does one become wealthy?
A: Desire, when renounced, makes one wealthy.

Q: What is it, when renounced, leads to no regret?
A: Anger, when renounced, leads to no regret.

Q: What is mercy?
A: Mercy means wishing for the happiness of all.

Q: What is simplicity?
A: Simplicity is equanimity.

Q: Which man is considered honest?
A: He who desires the good of all creatures is honest.

Q: What is the greatest sin?
A: Ignorance.

Q: What is grief?
A: Ignorance is grief.

Q: What is a true bath?
A: Washing the mind clean of all impurities is a real bath.

Q: What is wickedness?
A: Speaking ill of others is wickedness.

Q: What is the greatest miracle in this world?
A: Everyday, countless people die. Despite seeing this, the rest of the people who are living, think and act like they are never going to die. Could there be a greater miracle?

Q: Who is the man who is considered to possess every kind of wealth?
A: The man to whom the agreeable and the disagreeable, pleasure and pain, the past and the future, are the same, is considered to possess every kind of wealth.

So you want to save trees?

The battle to save trees is a battle of need versus greed.

There’s no point in protesting against tree loggers and then ordering wooden flooring on the way home. For as long as we keep demanding for tree products, trees will continue to be felled.
The only way to reduce the killing of trees is to reduce the demand for tree products.

So easy to understand. So difficult to do.

If we all buy only what we need, be it furniture, paper or any other tree product we use in our homes, then there would be no need for forests to be cleared the way they are.

If we used the paper in our homes and factory sensibly, if we printed on both sides of paper, printed only what we really needed and borrowed circulated books instead of buying new “self copies”, a lot of trees could breathe in peace.

If we recycled all the paper we accumulate and are not using without saving it for posterity, then we could save countless trees from the chainsaws.

If we refused all the junk mail we receive, we’d have fresher air to breathe.

If we stopped eating animals, which are fed by the grains that are grown on land acquired by clearing forests, then not only would the trees and animals live longer, but so would we.

We cannot harm another being without first harming ourselves. It is the law of nature.

So let live and live.

The miracle tree.

The Moringa tree (Moringa oleifera), a native of the Indian Himalayan foothills, is being acclaimed as the miracle tree around the world. It is being hailed as the tree that can wipe out malnutrition from the earth.

India's ancient tradition of Ayurveda says the leaves of the moringa tree prevent 300 diseases. Modern science confirms the basic idea.

It has been found that gram for gram, moringa leaves contain calcium contained in four glasses of milk, the Vitamin C equivalent of 7 oranges, the potassium of 3 bananas and over 3 times the iron found in spinach.

Even small amounts of the leaves could protect thousands of people from suffering and death.
And that’s just the leaves.
The pods are used to treat diabetes in West Africa and high blood pressure in India. The oil from seeds is used to soothe rheumatoid and gout pains.

The oil does not go rancid or congeal in the cold. The oil is used for salad dressing and in illumination and because it absorbs and retains odours particularly well, in cosmetics and soaps.

Parts of the tree have been used as a domestic cleaning agent, as a perfume, dye, fertliser and for making ropes.

The wood provides pulp suitable for making paper and the dried crushed seeds act as a coagulant-similar to alum- used as an effective, economical means to purify muddy water and reduce bacterial contamination.

The edible roots taste of horseradish and are also highly nutritious.

The beautiful white flowers are a rich source of nectar for honeybees.

All this from one tree!

The walking tree.

The Banyan Tree (Ficus bengalhensis) is probably the most respected tree in India.

This giant tree has the most unusual beginning. The seeds of the trees are carried by birds and usually dropped on top of tall palm trees. The seeds, nourished by the moisture and warmth of the host tree, quickly sprout and grow long aerial roots that reach the ground. Once these grasping roots get a firm grip in the earth, they enlarge to become strong trunks that wrap themselves firmly around the trunk of the host tree and usually strangle the host tree.

As the tree grows and matures, new roots grow from all its branches, pushing into the ground and forming new trunks and “moving along”. It is because of this that they are known as "many footed ones" or "trees that walk", because unlike other trees that stay rooted in one place all their lives, the Banyan tree actually moves forward with every new trunk it puts out.

It is common for a giant banyan tree to resemble a small forest in itself. The Banyan tree has many niches and cozy places to harbour countless species of insects, birds and reptiles. Because of the bustling activity in the Banyan tree, it is also known as the “tree of life”.

In Bali, Indonesia, Banyan trees are considered "elders" of the tree kingdom, and are accorded special respect. Motorists will honk if they pass a Banyan tree on the road. This honk is not an impatient one- rather it is a polite greeting to the tree.

Cambodians believe that their history is rather like that of the Banyan tree - made up of a thousand branches intertwined together, merging the past and present, yet forever changing and growing.

The Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree is said to have originated in Germany in the 16th century. It was common for the Germanic people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and coloured paper.

It is believed that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter's night near Christmas, he was struck with the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree was not widely used in Britain until the 19th century. It was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans in the 1820's.

Nowadays, the common practice is to bring a Christmas tree indoors a few days before Christmas, decorate it and leave gifts under it for family and friends on Christmas eve, and plant it in the house garden soon after New Year’s Eve.

In some countries, it is common to see fake Christmas trees made of highly toxic plastic materials that are discarded thoughtlessly after the festive season.

This Christmas, encourage those you know to stick to the good ol’ living, breathing tree.

"Touch Wood"

The expression is used by people around the world while discussing subjects regarding good luck and health, accompanied by the custom of touching a piece of wood. It is hoped that, whatever topic is being discussed, it will be protected from failure or misfortune.

The custom is thought to originate from Pagan times when trees were considered sacred. People believed that 'wood spirits' inhabited the trees and woodlands. To touch a tree with respect is thought to indicate that the person was in search of protection from the particular wood spirit.

It is also thought that the action may be a result of the Christian belief in The Crucifixion. Christ was crucified on a cross made of wood and hence touching wood may now be a sign of this belief, and a sign of deep compassion and reverence for Christ's resurrection.

Touching wood still occurs but has developed through time to include touching any item made from wood and rarely includes a tree.

Buddhas & Trees.

Trees have always been bridges between the material and the spiritual.

All the Buddhas (enlightened ones) who purified their minds completely found the roots of trees most conducive to deep meditation.
This fact can clearly be seen in the life of Gotama the Buddha.

Siddhatta Gotama, the future Buddha, is said to have been born under a tree in a grove of Sal trees in full bloom.

When he was seven, the future Buddha slipped into deep absorptive meditation for the first time while seated under a Jambolan tree.

At the age of thirty five, Siddhatta Gotama became fully enlightened under a peepal tree.

Thereafter, the Gotama the Buddha taught the universal law of nature (http://www.dhamma.org/) while seated at the foot of trees.

After spreading the message of peace and compassion for forty five years, Gotama the Buddha passed away under twin Sal trees in full bloom.

The future Buddha “Metteyya” or “Maitreya” is supposed to attain enlightenment under the Iron wood tree ( Messua Ferrea).

The most valuable tree in the world.

Neem (Azadirachta Indica) the legendary medicinal tree of India is gaining repute as the most useful tree in the world.

The Vedas called Neem ‘sarva roga nivarini’, which means 'one that cures all ailments and ills'. So much so that just sleeping under the shade of a neem tree is therapeutic. Neem is also currently being used to treat cancer and AIDS.

Neem has been used as a health and beauty aid in India for over 5000 years. Unlike most modern day chemical products, neem products are completely safe and cause no harm or side-effects.

Neem trees act as air filters that trap dust particles and absorb gaseous pollutants. Neem trees help reduce green house gases by absorbing large quantities of carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Neem trees give more oxygen than other trees.

The temperature under the shade of a neem tree is about 10 degrees cooler than its surroundings; 10 air conditioners operated together may not be able to cool as efficiently as a full grown neem can.

Neem's ability to withstand extreme heat and water pollution is well-known. It also helps to improve fertility of the soil and to rehabilitate degraded wastelands.

Neem trees can also play a vital role in controlling soil erosion, salination and preventing floods.

Neem is a boon to farmers as it is both an organic pesticide and as well as a fertiliser.

Some entomologists now believe that neem has such remarkable powers for controlling insects that it will usher in a new era in safe, natural pesticides.

Neem is an intelligent pest repeller - it affects only harmful pests and does not affect useful species in the farm. Unlike with chemical insectides and pesticides, pests do not become immune to neem.

Neem is a hardy tree that requires almost no water and grows happily on wastelands. The neem tree is also known to halt spreading deserts.

Little wonder then that neem was considered a divine tree by ancient Indians. Planting three or more neem trees during one's lifetime was considered a surefire ticket to heaven.

The boy and the apple tree.

Once there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the tree. He loved the tree and the tree loved him.

When the boy grew up he no longer played around the tree everyday. One day, the boy came back to the tree looking sad. "Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy. "I am no longer a kid; I don't play around trees anymore." The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them." "Sorry, I don't have money...but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money." The boy grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back. The tree was sad.

One day, the boy returned and the tree was happy. "Come and play with me" the tree said. "I don't have time to play. I have to work for family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?" "Sorry, but I don't have a house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house." So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me!" the tree said. "I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?" "Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy." So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.

Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. "Sorry, my boy. But I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you..." the tree said. "I don't have teeth to bite" the boy replied. "No more trunk for you to climb on" "I am too old for that now" the boy said. "I really can't give you anything ... the only thing left is my dying roots" the tree said with tears. "I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years." The boy replied.
"Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest. Come, Come sit down with me and rest."

The boy sat down and the tree smiled with tears.

A Tree for the Gods.

Long ago, a group of village wise men had a debate on the merits of the Banyan Tree.

"This tree," the first man said, "its wood won't burn, it can't be used to make a fire."

"We can't make tools from it either," said another.

"The wood is too porous."

"The fruit is dry, too bitter to eat," complained the fat one.

"And just see how big it is! Takes up too much space in the village," they went on and on.

"For man," they insisted, "this tree is absolutely useless!"

Then the wisest of the wise men pondered over the question.

At last he said, "It seems to me that this useless Banyan tree must be a very special tree. If it is absolutely useless for man - then it must have been created for the Gods!"

TREE HUGGERS- The Origin.

India, 1730 A.D. Amrita Devi, a woman belonging to the Bishnoi tribe was at home with her three daughters when she heard that the king’s men had arrived in their sleepy village to fell the Khejri trees to burn lime for the construction of the King’s new palace.

She protested against the felling of trees as it was prohibited according to Bishnoi principles. The king’s men told her that if she wanted the trees to be spared, she would have to give them money as bribe. She replied that she would rather give her life.
“Sar santey rookh rahe to bhi sasto jaan” (If a tree is saved even at the cost of one's head, it's worth it.)

Saying these words, she offered her head. The axes, which were brought to cut the trees, severed her head.

Her three young daughters were not daunted, and offered their heads too.

The news spread like wildfire. The Bishnois sent summons to eighty-three Bishnoi villages to come and decide on the next course of action. Since the supreme sacrifice by Amrita Devi and her daughters had not satisfied the royal party, and the felling of trees was continued, it was decided that for every tree that was cut, one Bishnoi volunteer would sacrifice his/her life. In the beginning, old people voluntarily started ‘hugging the trees’ to be cut.

The royal party's leader taunted the Bishnois that they were offering unwanted old persons. Soon, young men, and women, unmarried, married (and also recently married ones) and children, both rich and poor were sacrificing themselves in a similar manner.

The tree-felling party was badly shaken. They left with their mission unfulfilled and told the king about what happened. As soon as he heard about it, he ordered the felling of trees to be stopped.

By then 363 Bishnois had already become martyrs.

Although, Bishnois paid a huge price for saving a few trees, this incident inspired, and will continue to inspire the human race to fight and protect trees at any cost.

World peace (day) planting

On September 21st, this little one showed that you're never to young or old to start planting trees for peace.
All you old school tech buffs, make way for a new generation of nature lovers.

Let there be trees...

...Peace will follow!