Inspired by Amma’s messages and seeing the success of the Japanese Miyawaki forest technique, AYUDH has pledged to undertake a new Amritavanam project. The pilot forest would be built in a span of four years at the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus
Through Amritavanam, AYUDH members will create compact dense forests across the nation. These forests will help prevent soil erosion, purify the air and water, conserve biodiversity and fight global warming, etc. Moreover, these Amritavanam forests will include medicinal plants as well. The Miyawaki technique helps in creating a thick forest in urban areas with a land as small as 1000 sq. ft.
Amrita Vanam is the reforestation programme of GreenFriends, the Green Pillar of AYUDH. The programme encourages people into plant and maintain saplings. This is done at a large-scale group level by GreenFriends each November in Kerala.
Since 2002, as a group GreenFriends has planted 100,000 saplings every November as part of this programme. Currently this is being done in collaboration with the Kerala State Forestry Department, but GreenFriends is in the process of establishing 200 greenhouses of its own, so as to be able to independently generate 100,000 saplings bi-annually.
In fact one not need be part of GreenFriends to particpate in the Amrita Vanam project. All you have to do is to plant and nurture five, nine or more trees in a single area. Amrita Vanam specifically focuses on planting trees in temple grounds, in hospitals compounds, near educational institutions, along roadsides and in select public places. But you may plant the trees anywhere you find appropriate.
Each GreenFriends memebrs also vow to plant and maintain 18 saplings a year on their own.
