At the very outset, all of us at LightSpeed had decided that we’d do our bit for the environment when we can, and then some more.
How we would do this remained to be seen.
After much brainstorming, we came to the conclusion that there could be no better gift for the planet and the community, than an effort to increase the green cover.
We narrowed in on Tree Plantation as our activity of choice, and came to the consensus that for every electric bicycle sold by LightSpeed, a fruit bearing tree would be planted, for someone who could benefit from it.
Indian farmers, we felt, could use a helping hand and some extra support. So, we got in touch with SankalpTaru Foundation.
SankalpTaru is the first technology enabled NGO “planting trees by the people, for the people” across India. They don’t just plant trees, but also support rural livelihood, empower women farmers, promote bio-diversity, and make schools cleaner and greener.
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So far, the trees planted by SankalpTaru have already produced more than 65 million litres of Oxygen, across Project Sites all over India.
At LightSpeed, we waited for the completion of our crowdfunding campaign on FuelADream, to see how we would fare. Thanks to our patrons and supporters, we were in a good place, and we decided to go ahead and plant our first batch of trees in Sangli, Maharashtra, in collaboration with SankalpTaru.
In early 2018, LightSpeed gifted scores of Mango saplings to Sangli based farmer, Ms Madina Mullah Mubarak and her family. As she tends to these saplings, in a few years they will become beautiful fruit bearing trees that will consistently provide for herself and her family, ensuring financial security for them all.
Every time a tree is planted on behalf of the customer, the tree is also Geo-tagged with the customer’s name, and a unique QR code as well as Permanent Link (URL) is provided to the customer to track the growth of his/her tree. By following the URL, the customer can see the physical location of the tree on Google Maps, too.
Further, LightSpeed provides certificates to individual customers when a tree is planted on their behalf, so they can showcase this certificate to friends and family, and feel good about doing their bit for the environment.
The next round of tree plantation is slated to happen sometime in April, 2018, in Baramati, Maharashtra.
Batch after batch, LightSpeed will keep planting trees for the farmers of this nation we all love so much. As our customers reduce their carbon footprint by cycling, we as a team will play our part by planting trees to increase oxygen supply, improve the planet’s green cover, and enhance farmers’ lives.