Eco-friendly walk: Nourishing the capital, one tree at a time

National Spring Tree Plantation Campaign 2011 launches.

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of people including schoolchildren participated in the “Clean and Green Islamabad” walk in Blue Area on Thursday.

Starting from the Saudi-Pak Tower and culminating at the Faisal Avenue Underpass, the walk marked the launch of the National Spring Tree Plantation Campaign 2011.

Hasham, a grade-six student, said he enjoyed watching the dancing horses that were part of the walk, while another student, Sheheyar, said he was “happy to plant trees alongside his school” in sector F-8.

Speaking on the occasion, Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) Chariperson Imitaz Inayat Elahi said, “Islamabad’s ‘green character’ is the outcome of laborious and consistent efforts of citizens and CDA employees during the last 50 years by planting, protecting and nourishing trees.”

The event was part of a comprehensive awareness campaign to urge locals in improving the city’s eco-friendly environment, he said.

CDA’s Environment Wing displayed posters, banners and streamers in different areas of the city, besides handing out car-stickers, badges carrying slogans for planting trees.

“It was challenging to arrange such a colourful event given the prevailing law and order situation,” said Farah Yasmeen of Islamabad Horticulture Society. “Though many schools did not participate due to security concerns, the event will encourage all to come out for this noble cause in the future,” she said.

CDA will plant 500,000 saplings in the city under the National Spring Tree Plantation Campaign 2011. These saplings will be planted in continuation of the “Clean & Green - Islamabad” campaign launched in 2008, in which a total of 2.4 million trees were to be planted in the city in three years.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2011.