Young UAE eco-warrior plants seeds for 'greener' future

Arushi is the regional environment ambassador to the Middle East.

Children need encouragement just like plants need water. And a young teenager from the Delhi Private School has taken the lead in doing just that.
With the Earth Day around the corner (April 22), seventeen-year-old Arushi Madan known as 'Green Machine' because of her passion for environment has taken it upon her young shoulders to spread environment awareness among the young ones.
Arushi is the regional environment ambassador to the Middle East (appointed by Tunza Eco Generation-initiative by United Nations Environment Programme) and president of the youth community group "Students for the Earth".
She won the International Young Eco Hero Award from US based non-profit organisation Action For Nature in 2015 and was the only winner from UAE among 10 global winners.
The young environmentalist recently went to Kids Paradise Nursery, Sharjah and gave an environmental talk to the kids and also planted 40 saplings with each of the 40 kids there.
"I told them like you all have your birthdays, April 22, is Mother Earth's Birthday," she said.
"Earth Day is an annual reminder of our responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth. One can contribute to a healthier Earth in multiple ways: plant a tree, pick up trash, purchase biodegradable products, and commit to reduce, reuse and recycle. Planting trees is one of the easiest and most sustainable ways to positively affect the environment. We need trees now more than ever," she urged.
Talking about her visit to the nursery, Arushi said: "The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil to grow a healthy tree. So ahead of Earth Day, I decided to plant trees (saplings) with young kids to teach them important lesson on tree and nature and to make them remember forever the significance of trees."
"There is a phrase that goes 'tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn" that's why I made it a point to plant saplings with the kids," said Arushi.
"I explained to them we should love Mother Earth by planting trees, by keeping our place clean, not wasting paper and food."
She concluded her session with them by taking a promise from them that they would never waste food , will take care of plants and trees, will throw the waste in dustbin and keep the place clean.
She then planted the sapling with the kids, who eagerly participated with her.
" They really loved putting soil in the pod, watering the sapling and seeing the whole thing."
The school principal and teachers will make these 40 kids water these saplings daily so that the kids feel the nature and see the sapling growing.
saman@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai