<![CDATA[Trust for Environmental Education (TREE) - Blog]]>

<![CDATA[Trust for Environmental Education (TREE) - Blog]]>Thu, 28 May 2026 19:09:02 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Introducing children to native trees]]>Wed, 21 Nov 2018 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.treeindia.in/blog/introducing-children-to-native-treesNambi Rajan, our Earth Ambassador, is a passionate young individual, whose spirit is in the mountains. He described his second session at the Theosophical society.

"Theosophical society is like an oasis amidst the concrete jungle of Chennai. We went there with the children of the NSS camp from Lady Sivasami Iyer School. We started by planting native saplings on the camping ground where the students were accommodated. Tree plantation is not just about planting a sapling but also planting the seedling of ideas and knowledge about them. Kids were immersed in this activity and were simply enjoying their time with the nature. They also established a strong connect with the saplings they planted by giving them pet names like Kuttima, Bujjima, Jillukutti etc. The time just flew.

Our next activity was paper making. While waiting, the kids were still drawn towards planting more trees, left over carrot buds, getting twigs, setting up a tiny garden like structure and demonstrating the importance of trees, etc. When we handed them the newspapers, they started speculating how they were going to make a new paper out of it. When the process was demonstrated, they got more enthusiastic and tried new design ideas by placing dry leaves and petals. They looked proud by seeing the fruit of their hard work and it showed in their eyes. Some kids found it hard to believe that the old newspaper was turned into an all new paper on which they can write. They came and took autographs from us as remembrance of this amazing experience.

]]><![CDATA[Featured - You can connect with nature]]>Sat, 20 Oct 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.treeindia.in/blog/featured-you-can-connect-with-natureWe are over the moon to note that we received 64 inquiries to apply for our Earth Ambassadors Fellowship after The Hindu EDGE published an article written by Madhuvanti Krishnan! Thank you! The application for next year will open during the last week of May 2019. Follow us through this page for updates!

Here's the link to the article. https://www.thehindu.com/education/you-can-connect-with-nature/article25344651.ece

]]><![CDATA[Bridge the gap]]>Thu, 23 Jul 2015 15:19:56 GMThttp://www.treeindia.in/blog/bridge-the-gapEnvironmental changes and destruction of forests is common in today’s world. But it is hard for us to visualise the negative impact of these changes or imagine the root cause for it.

The caribou, also known as the reindeer, has been migrating to the Tundra in the Alaska’s north coast for over a millennium. More than a hundred thousand animals migrate to this landscape at a particular time to feed on its lush green vegetation. For many decades the natives and researchers have observed this spectacular migration, which is similar to the wildebeest migration in the African Savannah.

Many years back, there was a sudden drop in caribou numbers. Thousands of animals vanished from the herd. This baffled the scientists. Studies revealed that mosquitoes were the reason for the disappearance of thousands of caribou!

These mosquitoes are usually in the larval form hidden in the vegetation when the caribou feeds. These larvae hatch after the caribou completes its feeding months and migrates to another place. This has been the routine cycle.

But due to climate change and global warming, the rise in just one degree of temperature hatched the mosquito larvae, which coincided with the caribou’s feeding months. To escape the mosquitoes sucking their blood, the caribou started to climb the mountain slopes covered with snow. Thousands of caribou started to die due to harsh weather and lack of vegetation on these slopes.

This is an example of how everything in nature is closely interconnected. The migration of caribou could never be the same like how it was many decades ago.

There are numerous stories like this around us.

How did our environs look like in 1920s, 1940s, 1970s and 2000s? You could find this if you love Sherlock Holmes styled investigation clubbed with an interest in environment. Ask questions, read books, think and imagine how forests would have been during your parents’ and grandparents’ time. Talk to them to record their memories of nature when they were young.

Here are a few questions to start your investigation:

1. Did the rains arrive on time? Were they consistent? Did it rain for the complete monsoon period?

2. From where did you get water those days? How clean was the water then? Know about your nearest water source. How has it changed with the times?

3. What kind of garbage was produced many decades ago? Did you reuse any of the garbage? How did you dispose the rest?

4. What were the trees and birds you saw? Do you see them now? If they have disappeared, what do you think could be the reasons?

Each unique memory is a treasure to remind us of the loss of forests and wildlife at an unimaginable level during the last few decades. I hope the stories that you find will bridge your gap with nature and propel you to conserve the natural world around you.

A drawing by a 14 year old student depicting agricultural land usage in his town over a period of few decades

]]><![CDATA[Becoming a daily conservationist]]>Thu, 23 Jul 2015 14:49:47 GMThttp://www.treeindia.in/blog/becoming-a-daily-conservationistOne of the effective ways of contributing towards environment is by practising conservation in our everyday lives. It starts with reducing our impact on the environment, composting organic waste and by recycling our waste. This is the core message during many of our outreach programs.

We are glad that N.S. Srivats Raja of class seven assimilated message of daily conservation and came up with this drawing below. If every one of become ecologically conscious citizens practising conservation in our everyday lives, the world will be a better place to live.

]]><![CDATA[Save Our Sholas outreach marathon]]>Thu, 23 Jul 2015 14:27:20 GMThttp://www.treeindia.in/blog/save-our-sholas-outreach-marathonThe Save Our Sholas outreach marathon was conducted in the town of Rajapalayam which is below the foothills of the Western Ghats. Students understood the importance of Shola forests after watching the film 'Save Our Sholas'. They realized where the water for southern India is coming from. Here is a 3-minute program video about the outreach marathon

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