Do it for the green

The Byrasandra Lake - yet another dying work of nature in a thriving city. Or so it used to be. The water level of the lake, located in East Jayanagar, Bangalore was steadily declining and it was on the verge of dying. However, one can see the lake breathing now, as several organizations joined hands with BBMP to restore it and are still continuing to do so. One such organization is The Green Army.

The Byrasandra Lake Restoration Project, started in August 2016, is one of the most popular projects taken up by the Green Army. Through various intensive biodiversity studies, researches, clean-up drives to urge the general public to focus on this issue, the organization has been able to bring about a promising future for the lake while working on wetland management systems to ensure the survival of lake and to make it a community conservation project.

What started as a 13-member endeavour in Christ (Deemed to be University) in 2001, to strengthen the physical and mental health of the youth, Green Army has now become a movement to conserve environment by harnessing the spirit of adventure in youth.

“I grew up in a beautiful place with abundant wildlife and always shared a connection with nature. I think Green Army helped me continue my interest in nature and wildlife even when I was away from home. Meeting like-minded people every week and discussing about wildlife and conservation helped me keep my passion alive, learn and guide many people along the way,” says Mr. Pradeep Hegde, a prominent member of The Green Army, who is now a conservationist-filmmaker and media consultant for WCS India.

The Green Army has organized over seventy treks and nature camps so far, in several parts of South India. It has also undertaken several research projects, cleanup drives, workshops and campaigns. One such project, titled “Lead contamination in drinking water and fast foods” was awarded best project awards by IISc, Bangalore and National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India.

But what makes The Green Army a wonderful place to be is their Saturday afternoon meetings held in college. All the members, old and new, come together and discuss about conservation, while conducting healthy debates, voicing their opinions and learning a lot more about environment in the process. It is quite easy to become one among the warriors, marching towards a better planet. All you have to do is attend the weekend meetings, voice your thoughts and pen down your details in the register for around 5 weeks, following which you'll be added to a WhatsApp group, which marks your membership in The Green Army. Now, go ahead. Do it for the green!