In anticipation of World Environment Day early next month, the Department of Environmental Studies and Geology at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) organised an event titled ‘Bloom Before June: A Green Gathering’.
Held in collaboration with the Social Forestry Division of East Khasi Hills, part of the Forests and Environment Department, this pre-World Environment Day celebration aimed to promote environmental awareness and sustainable practices.
NEHU Vice-Chancellor Prof PS Shukla was present, along with Divisional Forest Officer H Lato, Dean of the School of Human and Environmental Sciences at NEHU Prof D Walia, Indian Youth Parliament national convener Ashutosh Joshi and Head of the Department of Environmental Studies at NEHU SS Chaturvedi.
Students, faculty and staff from various departments, participated in planting approximately 70 saplings. Despite unfavourable weather conditions, their commitment to greening the campus was unwavering. Each planted sapling was geotagged, ensuring its traceability and long-term monitoring. The event centred around the theme ‘Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience’, emphasising the importance of ecosystem restoration.
Shukla recognised the urgency of the mission – to restore and rejuvenate our planet. Each sapling we plant represents a commitment to a greener, more sustainable future, he said. The young trees planted here will grow alongside the aspirations of the students, providing shade, shelter and oxygen to generations yet unborn.
Lato, a seasoned forest officer, shared her wisdom with passion, saying that our forests are the heartbeat of the Earth.
Joshi focused on the grave dangers of melting of glaciers and ice caps as well as the threats to our deserts. He mentioned that each ecosystem is important and climate change is causing irreversible damage to our various ecosystems
Walia, a geologist and environmental scientist, said that each tree planted today rings a chapter in the commitment to combat desertification, restore degraded lands and build resilience against drought.
