‘Mentoring’ saplings will now earn additional credits for students of St. Teresa’s College here under a novel initiative to enhance tree cover in Kochi.
Teresian Tree Mentors will be responsible for the care and growth of around 8,000 saplings distributed among residents associations, teachers, and students of the college last week under a project co-ordinated by the State government’s Haritha Keralam Mission (HKM).
“One student will be the mentor for nearly 100 saplings. The student volunteers will be in constant touch with members of residents associations to ensure that the saplings are getting proper care. They will also photograph the various stages of growth and compile the photos to make a digital album,” said Nirmala Padmanabhan, associate professor, St. Teresa’s College.
“A student spending at least 22 hours for tree mentoring will get ‘A’ grade and one credit, while those who put in around 60 hours or more a year will get a certificate of excellence,” she added.
HKM district co-ordinator Sujith Karun said the saplings were provided free of cost to residents associations and local bodies as part of the Pachathuruthu (green pastures) social forestry project. “The project envisages converting barren lands into lush patches to increase green cover by planting local species of trees and plants while tackling challenges posed by climate change,” he added.
P.C. Ajith Kumar, secretary, Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council, said associations under six zones in the district had already started planting saplings.
“Some varieties being planted include guava, rambutan, pomegranate, and jack fruit. We have plans to extend the Pachathuruthu project to around 1,500 residents associations in 32 zones,” he informed.