Benefiting the Bangalore community and environment
Swiss Re goes on a tree “plantathon” to help heal the environment with the Rajanet Yegneswaran Charitable Trust.
August 2008
Trees play more of a role than one may initially think. They help produce oxygen and at the same time, reduce carbon dioxide. They are important in the natural landscape, helping to prevent soil erosion and maintain balance in the ecosystem. They are also elements in landscaping and agriculture, both for their aesthetic appeal and their crops. In developing countries, trees provide building material, as well as an energy source.
In August, seven members of Swiss Re’s Shared Service Centre Bangalore (SSCB) in India together with a host of other volunteers from the community took part in a “plantathon” of 800 trees with Rajanet Yegneswaran Charitable Trust: Planting Trees to Heal the Earth, as a way to give back to the community and the environment.
The planting took place in Gunjur Village, located 40 kilometers from the SSCB offices. The trees were planted along the roadside starting from Gunjur village to Kachamaranahali, leading to Hoskere village and half way to Karmelaram.
To ensure the saplings took to their new surroundings, the volunteers – Kuttappa T, Adeesha M, Gayathri J, Preethi M, Rajagopal K, Karthick S and Ruchi Vij from Swiss Re -- were coached on the important technique of planting the saplings. The Trust had arranged for the digging of the pits a day before, prepared the saplings from a nursery together with supporting sticks and ropes, and tree guards were provided by Bangalore’s Mahanagara Palike, the municipal administrative body responsible for the civic and infrastructural assets of the city.
The 50 saplings set aside for the Swiss Re volunteers were brought in and the team set to work, carefully following the proper planting procedures.
The team returned fatigued, but content with the day's work and the benefits their effort will bring.
The trees are to be watered and cared for all year around by the local village boys..
For more information on with Rajanet Yegneswaran Charitable Trust, please visit:
For more examples of Swiss Re's work in the community, click here.
