Hello to all the members of Tunza, Ambassadors and my dear friends,

Today I will be informing you about 2 people who have endeavored for the environment:

1.       Saalumarada Thimmakka is a 106 year old environmentalist from Karnataka.  She is someone who has struggled for the environment, even at an age like this.  Thimmakka has been listed in BBC’s most influential & inspirational 100 women. For planting 8000 trees in 80 years, she became the oldest person to feature in the list.  Although she lives an ordinary life, she is not an ordinary woman.  She planted and nurtured 384 banyan trees lined in a five-km stretch some 80km from Bangalore, India. Thimmakka, popularly known as ‘Vriksha Mathe’ (mother of trees) was awarded the country’s fourth highest civilian award for her tireless effort to make the planet green.

2.       Sunderlal Bahuguna is an environmentalist from India.  He has spent his life working to educate Indian villagers, protesting against environmental imbalance by the government and protecting the Himalayan Mountains. Mr. Bahuguna has had an active role within the Chipko and anti-Tehri Dam movements.  The word ‘Chipko’ means 'embrace' or 'tree huggers' and this vast movement has been a imperative one in which many leaders, usually village women, have worked to protect the environment. Often they would chain themselves to trees so that loggers could not cut down the forests.  Mr. Bahuguna has struggled for change in all of the above areas using peaceful resistance. Furthermore, Sunderlal Bahuguna has contributed globally through awareness raising measures concerning deforestation, the negative effects of liquor on mountain life, and the health of the Ganges River.

References:

1.https://www.femina.in/trending/achievers/meet-the-105-year-old-environmentalist-from-karnataka-135934.html

2. https://thelogicalindian.com/news/padma-shri-award-environmentalist-karnataka/

3. https://www.thebetterindia.com/180411/chipko-movement-sunder-lal-bahuguna-environment/

4. http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/374178/sunderlal-bahuguna/

5. https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/bahuguna-sunderlal

6.  "About Thimmakka". thimmakkafoundation.org. Thimmakka Foundation. Retrieved 14 November 2017.