To sensitise students about the benefits of nature, a degree college at Kumta in the Karwar district of Karnataka has adopted 'Green Graduation' programme, under which its first-year students have to plant saplings and take care of those saplings for three years. Getting inspiration from colleges in the Philippines, Dr A V Baliga College of Arts and Science has come up with the Green Graduation programme in association with the Forest Department.
In the Philippines recently, students have been asked to plant 10 saplings each and take care till their graduation is completed. If the student fails to take care of planted saplings, he or she will not be given his or her graduation certificate. Inspired by this green initiative which is being adopted by various governments, organisations and institutions across the world are coming up with efforts to save the environment. This college has roped in Honnavar division of the Forest Department to increase the green cover in the surrounding area.
For this year, this programme is restricted to first-semester BSc students having CBZ (chemistry, biology and zoology) combination. College principal U G Shastri said, "To create awareness about the importance of environment among the students, the institute has come up with this programme. It is not compulsory for students, but we are convincing them to take up the programme as it will help the botany students in enhancing their practical knowledge. If a student takes care of a few saplings for three years, there will be an attachment with that sapling and the tree will be always in the college campus or in forest area within city limits."
Assistant Conservator of Forests Praveen Basarur said, "To motivate students the department has associated with the college. A couple of days ago, 33 students planted two saplings each. Saplings name, its scientific name and the student's name will be tagged to that sapling in a small plate. If the sapling does not survive, the department will give a replacement for that and the student should take care of that one."
Inspired by the green initiative of the college, a few more colleges in Honnavar and Bhatkal have come forward to start a green graduation programme in their institutes. For the programme, talks are on with the Honnavar forest division, the officer added.
