Support #MonsoonWooding

Here’s how your CSR Funding can help in conserving and creating green spaces in Delhi and Gurgaon.

This cause is featured on Fund My Project as part of CSRlive.in‘s collaboration with BitGiving.com

Project by: SWECHHA

Location: New Delhi

Funding Required: INR 20 Lacs

Category: Eligible CSR activity as per Companies Act 2013, Schedule VII

(iv) ensuring environmental sustainability, ecological balance, protection of flora and fauna, ... conservation of natural resources and maintaining quality of soil, air and water;

Here's what the folks at Swechha have to say about the Project:

It is common knowledge now that Delhi is the world's most polluted city. One of the biggest reasons cited for air pollution is the respirable particulate matter (PM) that leads to morbidity and premature deaths.

• According to a research by WHO, the PM2.5 level in Dec-Jan 2015 of Delhi was 226 as compared to 95 of Beijing, the safe levels being 3 (annual mean). These levels are responsible for claiming 10,000 to 30,000 lives annually in Delhi which means the capital city loses 80 lives a day to air pollution, thus making air pollution the fifth leading cause of premature deaths in India.
• December 23rd, 2015 was recorded as the most polluted day of last year. The level of pollution was so high that the government asked schools to shut down because studies found that 2.2 million children in Delhi have irreversible lung damage due to the poor quality of air. (Centre for Science and Environment, Dec-2015)
• Natural forests and green cover combat air pollution to a large extent. However, they have been chopped down in large numbers in the name of development. About 40,000 trees were cut down for the metro construction.(Forest Department, 2015)
• Recently, 3500 hectares of forest were swept off in the Uttarakhand forest fires (approximately 28,00,000 trees) which also added to the overall air pollution in North India. Delhi's Air Quality Index worsened by 16 percent during the same period (CSE and Forest Department, 2016)

Swechha has been actively engaging the youth, media, government and civil society on issues of social and environmental development. Our green efforts range from waste upcycling and environmental fellowship programs to river clean-ups and creation of urban mini forests. We have been actively involved in multiple plantation drives since 2005, having planted over 20,000 trees around Delhi NCR, with an average rate of survival of 80%. Monsoon Wooding is one such action-packed annual Swechha campaign that aims at conserving and creating green spaces. We have also created Delhi's first urban mini forest with native tree species in St. Mary's School, Dwarka along with Delhi/NCR’s first regenerative food forest with over 1000 saplings in the premises of DC residence in Gurgaon. We have also planted Faridabad's first Urban forest in 2014, once almost a barren land, now a lush green landscape.

This year, we envision making Monsoon Wooding bigger. We want Monsoon Wooding to be run by concerned citizens like you. We aim to plant thousands of trees across Delhi and Gurgaon and we can’t do this without your support.

We, as citizens of our country, owe it to our children and our environment to take a step towards a better tomorrow and we need it now more than ever. This resolve in the form of Monsoon Wooding is a stride in the direction of a clean and green Delhi. Our future generations have the Right to Life that includes a clean environment and it is our responsibility to leave it for them. And as the Chinese proverb goes “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” 

How will the funds will be utilised?

Each tree costs Rs. 400/- to plant and maintain, your contribution can help in restoring some of our city's lost greenery. To make it even more interesting we have started this campaign on BitGiving that enables you to be a part of this amazing green initiative.

We are asking for a minimum contribution of 400/- per sapling. The money will go towards:

• Sapling procurement (we buy healthy mature saplings as the free government saplings are limited in variety and not very healthy. We only plant native tree species)
• Transport (for volunteers, saplings, manure and other essential material)
• Maintenance (we will ensure that a gardener/caretaker is employed to do post plantation maintenance for a period of 6 months - 1 year, 90% )
• Biomass and machinery for urban mini forest creation
• Manure and tools
• Advocacy initiatives to put pressure on the government to protect the existing green cover of Delhi and Gurgaon
• Buzz on the streets - to connect with people

Want to Fund this Project?

Visit BitGiving.com here and support the cause.

Looking for funding?

If you have a social project that’s high on innovation and impact, but running low on financial fuel, do write in to Nidhi Singh at nidhi@csrlive.in with your proposal, and we’ll feature it on FUND MY PROJECT.