WWF-Nepal along with Lumbini Development Trust held the closing ceremony for the 100,000 trees plantation program for the year 2012 at Buddha Adarsha Higher Secondary School, VDC Bhagwanpur Ward no. 4 in Lumbini. Local students, members of school Eco Clubs, members of School Ecological Conservation Education Network (SENSE) Nepal, District Forest Officer, Deepak Gyawali, and representatives from five partner banks were present at the ceremony, in addition to WWF-Nepal's Young Conservation Ambassador, Shristi Shrestha. Laxmi Bank, Nabil Bank, Nepal Investment Bank, Siddhartha Bank and Bank of Kathmandu supported this year?s Million Tree Plantation project by contributing over 20,000 trees to the Lumbini Master Plan. It is every local citizen's duty to help make Lumbini green and clean said Mr. Pemba Sherpa of the Lumbini Development Trust at the ceremony.

 

Ceremony attendees planted saplings within the school premises followed by a brief interaction session with the students, Eco Club and staff members. The Eco Club at Buddha Adarsha School recently started their own initiative of maintaining an eco-garden within their campus. This initiative supported by WWF-Nepal is also becoming popular in other schools in Lumbini who have also endorsed this eco-campaign and are encouraging their Eco Club members to do the same. Currently, there are 15 Eco Clubs in the area who have jointly planted over 1,500 trees through their own initiative this year alone. 

WWF-Nepal, Shristi Shrestha and the bank representatives also visited a local madrasa where an eco-garden supported by WWF-Nepal was established and interacted with the students and staff members.

 
The opening ceremony for The Million Trees project, as part of the Green Lumbini Initiative, was officially launched on Earth Hour, March 31, 2012. On this day,WWF-Nepal and Lumbini Development Trust organized a ceremonial plantation session for the partnering banks in the Lumbini Master Plan area, which kicked off the plantation of 100,000 trees for 2012. 
 

Shristi Shrestha Miss Nepal 2012 plants a sapling with the help of students

Representatives from partner banks plant saplings