On June 13^th 2009, 200 employees of BNP Paribas India, in association with two NGOs, Concern India Foundation (CIF) and SHARE, came together for a trip to a rural village, Usar, about 280 km from Mumbai. The trip was part of the Green Revolution, India’s tree plantation initiative, started last year, to contribute to a low carbon economy. CIF and SHARE identified the site and are in charge of monitoring the progress of the trees as well as their protection from human destruction.

Employees from several different entities came together for this honorable cause and took on the backbreaking tasks of digging trenches and trekking across hills to reach the ideal location to plant the saplings. This area usually sees heavy amounts of rain, but since the monsoons have been delayed in India this year, employees also had to carry water in bottles, buckets, and bags to the plantation site (each sapling required 3 litres of water). Employees branched out in smaller groups, some carrying saplings and spades, some digging with their hands, some drawing water from the wells and tanks; all eventually enjoying the day together in a rural community.

This one-day exercise completed a total plantation of 2,130 saplings and culminated with a much-deserved lunch prepared by the women of the village.