Bengaluru: Citizens across Bengaluru came together on Sunday to clean parks, plant saplings, segregate waste and promote sustainable practices as part of a citywide volunteering drive aimed at caring for the city’s green spaces.The first full-fledged volunteering day under TOI’s #IamBengaluru – Volunteer for Parks, presented by Multigen, featured 14 simultaneous activities across the city. Citizens of all ages participated in the initiative, pitching in to clean up and rejuvenate neighbourhood parks while promoting a more sustainable approach to maintaining the city’s green spaces.Led by NGOs Youth for Seva, Women of Wisdom and Adamya Chetana, along with citizen groups such as The Indian Ploggers Army, volunteers took part in sapling plantation drives, plogging, park clean-ups, waste-segregation awareness campaigns, park melas and other green initiatives.Students from schools and colleges across Bengaluru also joined the movement. A team from BMS College of Commerce and Management participated in plogging drives at Doddakallasandra Park and Anjanapura Lake Park.Women turned out in large numbers for community programmes organised by Women of Wisdom. At Dhanavanthari Park, the NGO conducted workshops on microgreens and coconut-shell painting, while demonstrations on eco-friendly festive celebrations and ways to avoid single-use plastics drew enthusiastic participation.At JP Nagar Mini Forest, The Indian Ploggers Army led an innovative citizen pledge, urging participants to take responsibility for their waste and do their part to keep Bengaluru clean, green and healthy.The activities marked a strong start to the citywide volunteering movement, bringing together citizens of different age groups to contribute to the upkeep of Bengaluru’s green spaces.Students of BMS College of Commerce and Management said Bengaluru’s parks are among the few remaining green spaces in the city and welcomed the initiative for encouraging young people to focus on sustainability.“Bengaluru’s parks are the only green spaces we have left in the city right now. TOI’s initiative is helping youth like us channel our energies towards important causes such as sustainability. We’re happy that our efforts were also rewarded with cool merchandise,” they said.Plog Raja of The Indian Ploggers Army said Bengaluru has a strong pool of citizen volunteers, with GBA officials also willing to collaborate with them.“Many people want to volunteer but lack the right platform, so their efforts often remain limited to certain pockets. While everyone knows littering is bad, the willingness to avoid generating waste is still lacking. Civic responsibility must come from within, and more such initiatives are needed,” he said.Quote BoxesNandita K, 19, from KonanakunteMy interest in plants began in college through a sustainability initiative. When I came across this programme, I felt its objectives closely aligned with my own ideas. I wondered, why limit greenery to our homes? We should work towards making the whole of Bengaluru greener. That is what motivated me to participate in the initiativeShweta Datha, 31, from Kumaraswamy layout, a product managerThis initiative also made me think about how more citizens can contribute to the city. Keeping Bengaluru clean and green is everyone’s responsibility. I would like to see more people come forward and actively participate in such initiativesDeepika Singh, 30, from JP nagar“It is encouraging to see women promoting eco-friendly products. With festivals approaching, initiatives like this can motivate us to reduce plastic use and choose sustainable alternatives. I learnt about bamboo gifting and arecanut plates and cups, and realised how much plastic we use simply for convenience. I will definitely try to make more eco-friendly choices.”Prakasha Krishnamurthy, 41, a GCC employee, JP nagarBengaluru is fortunate to have many parks, but maintaining them is equally important. This initiative highlights the need to preserve and make effective use of these green spaces. The awareness stalls also offered useful takeaways, particularly on reducing plastic use. It is a good way to raise awareness about sustainable choices and the importance of protecting our environment.CK Ramamurthy, MLA for the Jayanagar constituencyIt was wonderful to see everyone coming together to plant trees and clean parks. It shows how much citizens care about their surroundings. My suggestion to Bengaluru is that, with so many parks and open spaces, people should also take up terrace gardening. It doesn’t have to be something big—even growing a single plant is a good start. Simple practices at home, such as composting waste and reducing plastic use, can also make a difference.Aniruddha Jatkar, actor“This is just the beginning. In the coming days, I hope the initiative expands beyond Bengaluru, with parks across Karnataka becoming models for other states and countries. Bengaluru has many good parks, but some are poorly maintained and need greater attention. We also need more parks to ensure the city has adequate green spaces.”
