India's Trees For Free a Diamond in the Rough

I learned a lesson in tree planting while in Bangalore, India recently. The job is much easier and more fulfilling when you team with children, especially from orphan schools, to accomplish the task. Their eagerness, enthusiasm and elbow grease was a perfect compliment for the dozen Applied Materials India employees who ventured to the outskirts of the city to do a good act for mother nature. We partnered with the NGO Trees for Free who made all the arrangements, found the location and provided volunteer experts to show us the proper tree planting methods.

Interacting with the school children (I was assisted by two charming young ladies in 6th grade) and helping plant 25 mango and ashoka trees was gratifying. I thought this was the perfect intersection of environment and education. The project actually stemmed from Applied Materials' Earthworks program held last April. In addition to covering the cost of the trees Applied Materials also helped purchase a truck for Trees for Free so they could transport trees to their new locations. Trees for Free is almost entirely volunteer based with the exception of their founding director Janet Yegneswaran. I met a couple of high tech workers who were volunteering their skills. Both were wearing a yellow Rotary Club Polio Plus hat (I’m a member and donor so it touched my heart) and one said he designed and maintains the NGO’s website.

As we near Earth Day on April 22 and employee groups and individuals look for meaningful ways to protect and enrich our environment, may I suggest that you include some personal enrichment in the exercise by partnering with school children. As adults we become an important role model for environmental causes to the generation of children that will benefit from today’s efforts and your heart will be grateful for the experience.