Trees are among the greatest natural wonders and the greatest gift given to us by nature. Trees provide us with food and oxygen which are vital for the survival of all lives on this beautiful green planet. The value of trees continues to increase as more benefits of trees are being discovered day by day. Medicine, food, timber and shelter are a few of such benefits that we get from trees but with high demand comes the necessity of the urgency to provide for the said demand. Therefore, humans continue to destroy trees to help them obtain petty pleasures in their modern lifestyle. The forest cover in many parts of the world is shrinking because of this. It is our duty to protect this valuable part of nature.

Growing Green is a project carried out by the Rotaract Club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura as a small step towards protecting our Mother Earth by planting trees with the intention of securing our future. The objectives of this project are simple in nature but have a lasting impact on this beautiful planet that we all live in. No matter how small a step we take if we take many such steps, the miles we walk in the journey will only increase. Likewise, the Growing Green project is a collection of such small steps of all contributing towards one goal.

The first phase of this project was to raise awareness of the importance of planting trees through a social media challenge and inviting other nature lovers to join hands with us and help us in this project by planting trees. Rotaractors of our club, other clubs, students in our university and our friends planted a tree each with the intention of taking that small step towards protecting our mother earth. Our goal is to get more and more nature lovers to join hands with us.

The next phase of this project is to plant a tree after completing each project carried out by our club. Therefore, whenever our club successfully completes a club project the goal is to plant a tree in commemoration of a job well done. As such we planted three “Kohomba” plants in our university premises to celebrate the 9th Charter Day of the Rotaract club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. This was another small step we took as Rotaractors who love the Mother Nature. Also for the guests who attended our 9th Charter day event, the organizing committee gave plants as tokens of appreciation for them to take home and plant.

This was another great idea of our club to expand the impact from the Growing Green project. Instead of giving an artificial gift for them to remember the event we gave them a tree which is priceless to all the Rotaractors who also happens to be a nature lover which can be passed down to the next generation. This was another small step we took to protect our mother earth by the initiative taken by the Growing Green project.

Growing Green is all about making the world a greener place. This is one of the projects that can be carried out without having to meet a deadline or an end date because trying to protect this wondrous Mother Nature is not something that we should ever stop. The day we stop protecting trees is the day we give up our own futures.

Therefore, as Rotaractors who love mother earth it is our duty and responsibility to join hands with the Growing Green project and to keep planting more and more trees and helping to secure our future and protecting our mother earth. Let us all be the ambassadors of nature.

-Rtr. Janith Jayasinghe-