Mysuru: More than 250 volunteers, who included nature lovers, environmentalists, tourists including foreign tourists, women and children took part in the ‘Green Chamundi Abhiyana,’ launched by Clean Mysuru Foundation, near Shivananda Ashrama at the foot of Chamundi Hill here this morning.

The initiative, which is aimed at creating green canopy in and around Chamundi Hill, is supported by H.V. Rajeev Sneha Balaga, Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Gramabhiruddhi Samsthe, Kalki Bhagavan Manavasevalaya, Sri Guru Raghavendra Samiti, Spandana Trust, People Tree, Swachha Mysuru Samsthe, Samarpana Foundation, Infosys, Namana Mysuru Foundation, Jain Samaj, Aruna Green Ventures, Let’s Breathe Mysuru and a host of other organisations.

The Abhiyana began at 7 am with volunteers formulating and demonstrating  seed ball culturing. Under this initiative, medicinal plants / shrubs, fruit-bearing and environmentally sustainable seed varieties will be planted through seed ball culturing.

Seed ball or earth ball concept: Growing forests through seed ball culture is an innovative method and adopted by many world communities to create sustainable forests. Clean Mysuru Foundation is adopting and attempting this method by utilising red soil, cow dung and urban compost mixture (urban compost manufactured by Mysuru City Corporation by utilising home generated wet waste).

The Foundation had procured seeds of Seethaphala, Ala, Arali, Hatti (cotton), Goni, Bamboo, Tamarind, Neem etc., from Karnataka Forest Department’s seed division at Nagavala in the taluk and also purchased medicinal variety seeds for this seed ball culture programme.

The Foundation has set a target of creating green canopy in and around Chamundi Hill in a period of five years using 1 lakh seed balls and today’s programme saw the making of nearly 30,000 of them. The second round of the programme will be held on June 4, 2017.

Even as the volunteers got busy making seed balls, artistes of Arivu Cultural troupe rendered songs on nature and environment in a bid to inspire them.

Clean Mysuru Foundation Hon. President Dr. C.G. Betsurmath, who is also former MCC Commissioner, speaking on the occasion, said that the Foundation was attempting the seed ball culture for the first time for greening Chamundi Hill environs.

Declaring that the Foundation aims to make 5 lakh seed balls in the coming days, Prof. Betsurmath said that earlier experiments with seed ball culture elsewhere in the world had attained 80 percent success.

Pointing out that a natural way of growing trees using seed ball culture along with plantation, would be able to address the serious issue of depleting forest cover, he said that the speciality of this Abhiyana was in bringing awareness on mixed tree culture and use of urban compost in seed ball culture. The Green Chamundi Abhiyana initiative will be extended to cover Mysuru city too, he added.

Rajeev Sneha Balaga President H.V. Rajeev, in his address, regretted the rapidly depleting forest cover. Stressing on the need for increasing momentum / awareness on seed ball culture, he said, the destructive practices by humans was largely responsible for global climate change.

Explaining the initiatives of the Abhiyanas, he said, with this greening initiative, green canopy will naturally increase and so also the bird population.

He thanked the co-operation extended by various organisations of the city for their effort in the launching of the initiative.

Jain Samaja’s Praveen Jain and Amit Jain, Clean Mysuru Foundation Secretary Madhukeshwar, Dharmasthala Gramabhivruddhi Samsthe Convenor Santosh Pojary, M.P. Varsha of Credit-i and others were present.

Clean Mysuru is a registered non-profit organisation working towards promoting cleanliness by protecting environmental degradation through task-oriented activities.