ABOUT SEED
STUDENT EMPOWERMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT (SEED)
Conceived as the mouthpiece
of India’s freedom movement, Mathrubhumi is one of the
pioneer newspapers in Malayalam and one among top dailies in the country.
The history of Mathrubhumi is synonymous with the history of India’s
freedom movement in Kerala. Ever since its inception in 1923, Mathrubhumi
has played a significant role in the socio-cultural and economic development of
Kerala.
The initiative
Environmental degradation
is one of the major threats faced by the present generation. Natural resources
have been passed on from generations and it is our duty to protect, preserve
and transfer it to our future generations. Public awareness is a major tool in
environmental protection and media has to play a major role in spreading
awareness among the general public. Aware of the fact that future of the world
is highly dependent on its children, prompted Mathrubhumi to embark in this
novel initiative called SEED (Student Empowerment for Environmental
Development) to create awareness among the younger generation to preserve and
protect our mother nature. SEED is perhaps the largest green initiative
in India at the school level by any newspaper organization for protecting and
preserving Mother Nature through school children. SEED, which was
launched in 5th June, 2009, has successfully completed nine years
and is entering in to its tenth year. Schools carry out simple but
effective steps in environment protection like Planting & Protection of
saplings, Agricultural Activities, Bio-diversity conservation, Energy
Conservation, Conservation of Water bodies, Cleanliness & protection of
public health, Reduce, Reuse and Recyle Plastic waste and intervention in local
area environmental issues through SEED Police and SEED reporters.
Volunteers of Mathrubhumi act as mentors and trainers. Around 350
volunteers of Mathrubhumi periodically visit schools. Every year, Best
performing schools are given Haritha Vidyalayam Awards and Cash prizes; a total
of 610 prizes including Awards for Best Teacher Co-ordinators, Gems of SEED,
Sreshta Haritha Vidyalayam Awards, Vishista Haritha Vidyalayam Award and Special
Jury Awards.
The Impact
·
Tremendous behavioral
changes in the student community.
·
7,053 active schools spread
across all the 14 districts in Kerala.
·
Target group – 3.8 million students.
·
8,34,874 saplings are being
protected out of 16,46,698 planted in the last 11
years.
·
SEED students have
harvested 2,96,187 kgs of Paddy, 10,84,995 kgs of Vegetables and 5,62,824 kgs of Fruits in the last 11years.
·
Students have collected 3,86,330
kgs of Plastic waste properly segregated and
sent it for recycling.
·
SEED Quiz- Largest
Students’ Quiz on Environment – 5,067
participants.
·
SEED schools have conducted
53,568 campaigns, 40,979 Rallies, 61,190 Poster exhibitions, 54,946
seminars and 6,678 Study tours as part of the
SEED project throughout Kerala in the last 11 years.
·
SEED schools have conserved
6.9 million litres of water in the last eleven years of the SEED project
and remediated several water bodies saving innumerable quantities of water.
·
SEED has also launched
subsidiary initiatives like:
ü
Love Plastic – a novel project
in recycling plastic waste through school children launched by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam on 19th February, 2011. Along with promoting the
message of reducing, reusing, recycling and refusing plastic waste, the
participating schools have till now collected 3,86,330 Kgs. of clean and dry plastic waste and sent it for
recycling after properly segregating them.
ü Seasonwatch – a
citizen science movement launched by Mathrubhumi SEED in association with
National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore and Wipro Applying Thought
in Schools, wherein students scientifically monitor trees to identify its
leafing, flowering and fruiting pattern.
The collected data will be used to understand the phenological pattern
in our locality, across years and across seasonal cycles. 720 schools
are actively involved in this project, wherein they have marked 3,64,848 observations of 63,749 trees observed by them in the
year 2019-20.
ü
Cradle for Turtle Campaign – The
sea turtles are facing extinction due to the challenges created by humans in
sea and shores. SEED brought together all the likeminded people in the sea
shores of Kerala to protect the sea turtles by creating a friendly environment
for them in the various hatching beaches in Kerala. The students with the help
of local people collected turtle eggs and kept them safe from various threats
and the hatched turtles were returned to the sea. As part of the initiatives
SEED has collected 3695 turtle eggs
and 1722 hatchlings were returned to
the sea.
ü
Naattu Maavin Chottil Project - An innovative project to preserve and protect the
indigenous mango varieties of Kerala. In the last two years alone, SEED schools
collected and distributed 43,721
mango saplings belonging to 103 different local varieties.
ü
Nakshathra Vanam- SEED in association with the Vaidyaratnam Oushadhashala initiated a
project to create awareness about plants and conservation of these plants
through school gardens. As part of this initiative, 10 selected schools from
each of the districts and one school from 4 metro cities of our country planted
Nakshathravanam gardens in their premises. The best medicinal gardens will be
awarded with prizes during the SEED Haritha Vidyalayam awards.
ü
SEED Reporter – More than 3,000 students were trained on the nuances of journalism
(both print and visual). Student SEED Reporters periodically send reports on
local area environmental issues, which is published in our daily and aired
through our television channel.
ü Kandal Kaakkaan Kuttikkoottam – To
support the SEED students protecting mangroves in Kannur district, Mathrubhumi
bought 116.50 cents of land situated at Cherukunnu village, Kannur district, the
plot is being protected and will soon be recognized as a unique centre for
Mangrove conservation.
ü
Free the Tree Campaign 2014; A
campaign to save roadside trees from ad boards - Nearly 2000
students from 159 active SEED schools from the 14 districts of the state of
Kerala took a one hour walk on the 9th & 10th
February 2014 along the main roads of their respective local areas. They took
count of the number of advertisement boards, hoardings and banners kept on
trees, whether nailed or tied or in any other form. They consolidated the data
and submitted it to the local authorities which forced them to take action
against this menace.
ü
Haritham Oushadham Initiative - SEED in association with the State Medicinal Plant
Board initiated this project for the conservation and protection of medicinal
plants in the state. As part of this initiative schools maintain medicinal
gardens in their premises.
ü
Ente Naadu; Ente Thengu Competition 2014 – A literary
competition conducted in association with Coconut Development Board to create
awareness about the importance of Coconut tree in the socio-cultural spheres of
Kerala. The competition was under two categories viz; A, Poetry writing and B,
Short story / Experience writing. More than 4000 students from Upper Primary to
the Higher Secondary Classes participated in the competition and it was a great
success in creating awareness about the Kalpa Vriksha.
ü
Ente Thengu – a unique project to
mould, motivate & create passion among the youth about coconut farming in
association with Coconut Development Board.
ü
Little Frame Short film contest – in association with Builders Association of
India was held during November, 2012 to January, 2013, wherein more than 3,000
students participated in the short film contest focussing on the theme –
Responsible Living and Environment protection.
ü
Keram Kakkan Kuttikkoottam - During May, 2013, SEED organised a Student Parliament for Protection
& Conservation of Coconut Tree and the findings of the Student Parliament
was presented to the Hon'ble Speaker, Legislative Assembly Kerala and the
Hon'ble Chief Minister & Agriculture Minister of Kerala. It is
heartening to note that some of the suggestions put forward by the kids are
translating into action as the Government of Kerala has now announced tapping
of Neera from Coconut Tree and also to constitute a Neera Board for promoting
Neera tapping, which will go a long way in value adding for Coconut products as
well as provide remunerative prices to the farming community.
·
In the IUCN World Park
Congress 2014 conducted at Sydney, SEED was recognized as a best
environmental project model for inspiring the young generation towards
environment protection.
Collaboration with Haritha Keralam Mission, Government of Kerala
We are proud to say that the Government of Kerala collaborated
with SEED for its environmental education and protection initiative called Haritha Keralam project. A hand book for the Haritha Keralam Mission was prepared with the help of
representatives of SEED and all the initiatives of Haritha Keralam project was conducted in association with SEED.
The Lilliputian steps of the children enabled SEED to win international
accolades viz.,
o
Corporate Social Crusader of the Year – Gold 2017 by International
Advertising Association (IAA).
o
Best Corporate Citizen Award 2016and 2019 – National Institute of
Personnel Management (NIPM).
o
Go Green Award – WAN-IFRA World Young Reader Prize 2014
o
Corporate Social Crusader of the Year – Gold 2017 and 2014 by
International Advertising Association (IAA).
o
World Young Reader Prize (2011 & 2013) instituted by World
Association of Newspapers – WAN-IFRA, Vienna.
o
Olive Crown Awards instituted by the International Advertising
Association (IAA).
o
Vanamitra Award of the Government of Kerala
o
Pepper Awards 2017 instituted by the Cochin Ad Club
o
Maddys Awards 2017 instituted by the Madras
Advertising Club
o
Rajiv Gandhi Janma Sapthathi Puraskaram 2019
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