Sikh-Americans pledge to plant 100 forests in India to combat climate change

A Sikh-American organisation here on Thursday pledged to support the plantation of 100 forests in Punjab and other parts of India as part of their efforts to combat climate change.

Members of EcoSikh, during its 7th Gala in Washington, pledged to combat climate change by planting Guru Nanak Sacred forests in Punjab and elsewhere in the world, a statement issued by the organisation said.

"The planting of 100 Guru Nanak Sacred forests will also help EcoSikh reach its target of planting one million trees in honour of Guru Nanak's 550th birth-anniversary," it said.

EcoSikh has planted 120 mini forests of 550 trees of native species in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujrat, Delhi, Jammu and Chandigarh, according to the statement.

"This will restore nature's imbalance in Punjab and other parts of India. The world is facing a pollution crisis and it is affecting the health of our children. Planting a forest is the best investment for our collective future, said Shubhendu Sharma from Afforestt, a service provider for creating natural, wild, maintenance free, native forests.

Noting that climate change is the greatest threat facing the world and world religions have a great role to play to solve this crisis, EcoSikh's global president Rajwant Singh, said : "We feel that planting a forest in our backyard, schools, colleges, and gurdwaras can go a long way to purify our surroundings and make a dent in carbon sequestering".