Sep 15, 2020 / Citizen

#MyTreebute – Together for Nature

Y-East and Artsforward conducted a campaign named #MyTreebute – A poem for a Tree between 29th May and 15th June 2020 as an earnest attempt to revive the lost green cover after cyclone Amphan battered the city of Kolkata in May 2020. The collective challenge invited people to immortalise their lost tree and/or help plant a new one in its place by contributing original poetry dedicated to nature on the #MyTreebute Facebook Group and a contribution of a minimum of Rs.100/- for the poems that they appreciate in the group on a Ketto fundraiser that we created.

Since its inception, the group has been able to gather more than 650 members, over 140 poems, and has collected donations amounting to Rs. 77,000/-. On 5th June, World Environment Day, we congregated virtually with the group members for a Live Poetry Recital Session on Facebook to listen to the beautiful pieces dedicated to lost trees and nature. The funds collected from the campaign were donated to Rebuild Bengal and Naturemates in their efforts of replantation of trees in Rabindra Sarobar and Maidan areas of Kolkata. After the successful campaign, the Facebook group now runs as #MyTreebute – Together for Nature, a community where we share works of art on nature, useful knowledge about trees, nature etc, opportunities related to environmental activism and fun weekly challenges themed on nature.

We have also started an Instagram page @my.treebute. In a few weeks, this page will be full of beautiful illustrated poems about trees and Nature! Follow us on Instagram for a poetic journey, which will take you, season after season, week after week, through verses written by poet citizens paying tribute to this one oxygen-vending, life-giving, food-producing, shade-providing, soil-holding, soul-nurturing, eye-soothing machine – The tree.