Money doesn’t grow on trees, but our future does. This banker is restoring India to its verdant origins

When former banker Durgesh Agrahari quit his job in finance to become the first employee of SayTrees, he knew that a much more rewarding career awaited. The non-profit is at the forefront of tree plantation and preservation campaigns, with the objective of improving India’s green coverage. Amid a climate that has already changed, Agrahari’s work has become vital to restoring parts of the country to its verdant origins.

SayTrees sprouted as a weekend planting project in Bangalore in 2007 as a response to office blocks replacing once lush spaces. It has since grown into urban forests across Mumbai and Delhi – replete with animals. “We get to see a lot of birds building their nests, bees, butterflies, we see a lot of reptiles on the ground,” Agrahari says. These flourishes of life are a stark contrast to India’s concrete jungles, highlighting the organisation’s success. Yet it’s perhaps in some of the most remote and impoverished parts of India that their impact is most visible. “For the last few years we have started interventions in the rural space where we work with local communities,” Agrahari says. They restore water sources, and plant saplings on village common lands, giving communities a source of food, income and the opportunity to become self-sufficient. “We have been able to work with close to 600 farmers where we have planted more than 150 000 fruit-bearing trees,” Agrahari says. 

Today, the SayTrees team are growing their reach by mobilising thousands of volunteers, many of whom have started their own initiatives. “I wanted to make a difference in the society I live in,” Agrahari says. And he has. Satellite footage by NASA shows that as a result of human intervention, India is one of the leaders in the greening of the planet. With each tree planted, Agrahari is sowing the seeds of sustainability that’s changing his country’s environment for the better. 

You can contribute to the work of SayTrees here. Footage by SayTrees was used in the creation of this film.