Green Ambulance – PAGDAND

Gujarat has only 11.05% of its geographical area declared as forest, which is much below the national average. Under the given circumstances the only way forward for Gujarat is to increase tree cover in the non-forest areas ,so in order to meet this predicament green ambulance program was launched as an initiative to increase the green cover of the city of Vadodara.

Under this programme, Pagdand embarked upon an ambitious mission of organising and motivating people to take up tree plantation on lands like wastelands, roadsides, canal sides, farmlands ,school and college compounds and other government lands.

The main objectives of the green ambulance programme as it was started were to increase green cover of Vadodara by integrating all available land under the tree cover programmes and to improve carbon sink. More than 1300 saplings have been planted and are being maintained across various locations under this program since its conception. The results of the programme were encouraging, and is being well appreciated by the community in Vadodara and outside of the city alike.

Pagdand currently operates two Green Ambulances, which are both electric vehicles. They are both equipped with necessary gardening tools, water, fertilisers and pesticides. They can immediately respond any call they get for assistance and make daily rounds to maintain previously planted saplings.

With increasing environmental problems such as climate change, tree plantation and wood consumption are expected to increase considerably in the near future. It hence becomes more and more imperative to increase the tree count as well as involve the community in this drive.

Dr. Jagdish Prasad is an expert and an all-rounder when it comes to environment and wildlife conservation. With an education grounded in mathematics and chemistry, and the field of economics and participatory forest management, he has been an environmental management practitioner for 32 years during his service in the Indian Forest Service, Gujarat Forest Department, from where he retired in 2017 as Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. He believes in constantly improving his knowledge and experience by developing his understanding of natural resource management through various international short-term training courses.

Mr. Lodaya is the director of dot2dot Advertising Private Limited, Vadodara, Gujarat, a flourishing advertising company catering to a large Industrial and private Clientele in the country. He is extremely passionate about nature, conservation and sustainability and his enthusiasm led him to jointly lay the foundation of ‘Pagdand’ to enliven the City of Vadodara and the state of Gujarat by his ideas and contribution.

Dr. Devkar is an expert in zoology with 15 years worth of research experience under his belt. His research interests include micro chiropteran ecology, conservation breeding & reproductive biology of birds, ethnobiology and nanobiology. He has been teaching for 20 years and is currently an assistant professor in Zoology at the Faculty of Science, MSU, Baroda.

The Director of Sure Safety Pvt Ltd., owner of Mind Tree School – Ms. Anuprita Dand is one of the main guiding forces for Pagdand. Mrs. Dand is a passionately advocates for conservation and education. She strongly believes in serving the larger community through preservation of the environment and in the power of educating children regarding biodiversity conservation. At Pagdand, Mrs. Dand serves as the Lead Program Advisor and brings together her network of friends to run the Eco Club through the Environment Education and Awareness Program.

Ms. Tejal Shah holds a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics. Tejal is a spiritual, yoga enthusiast and a Reiki Master as well as an Iyenger Yoga trainer. She is fond of learning more from the Bhagvat Gita. Tejal loves singing and dancing. She believes that helping others is the most divine attitude and is especially passionate about working with children. She has taught Maths to underprivileged children in the past. Tejal believes that the best time to plant trees was 20 years ago, and the next best time is today! Tejal’s interest in helping children drew her towards Pagdand’s Eco Club where she also serves as a Program Advisor for the Environment Education and Awareness Program.

Ms. Anupama Kothari is a seasoned educator with a teaching experience of 18 years who has worked with both the GSEB and CBSE boards, covering subjects like Science, English, and Social Studies from 2002 to 2020. Beyond the traditional teaching roles, Anupama has made substantial contributions to the Education and NGO sectors through her work with Swavlambi and ACE Foundation (both NGOs), and through Charotar Vidhya Mandal Society. She has also played a crucial role in empowering women with English communication and life skills. Her illustrious career in education, her commitment to teacher training, and her passion for lifelong learning, coupled with her diverse hobbies, collectively define her as a dedicated and well-rounded individual. At Pagdand, Ms. Kothari also serves as a Program Advisor contributing through her passion for lifelong learning, commitment to teacher training and education.

Ms. Reena Rastogi is a passionate urban farmer from Vadodara, Gujarat. She has a deep love for nature and has created an Urban Food Forest in the heart of the city using permaculture techniques. At the Savitri Urban Food Forest, she has established an eco-education centre where young minds can connect with the essence of food cultivation. Her vision is to pass on the rich traditions of Indian farming to future generations. Through this she aims to foster a deep connect between people and their sustenance. Having a background in the Education sector, at Pagdand, Ms. Rastogi is one of the Program Advisors for the Environment Education & Awareness Program.

Ms. Alifia Hazariwala is certified in Early Childhood Care and been working in the Education sector for more than 15 years. Her passion for nurturing young minds is clear in her positive approach towards children, reflecting her commitment to their holistic development. Alifia has been an integral part of various creative writing, vocabulary building, and spelling workshops tailored to empower students with language skills and literary talent. Her dedication to students goes hand in hand with her role as a Program Advisor for Pagdand’s Eco Club activities through the Environment Education & Awareness Program.

Christi Sylvia completed her Master’s in Zoology from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 2006. Since then, she has gained extensive experience in field-based ecological research, content writing and management. She has led and managed teams in the corporate (publishing) sector, and teams conducting fieldwork for wildlife conservation. Her conservation work-experience comes from working with premier wildlife organizations in India. Christi believes in lifelong learning. She believes in constantly upgrading her skills and has gained various program management and technical certifications to this end.
Her research interests include socio-ecological systems, human-wildlife interactions, ecological restoration, inclusive conservation, and sustainable development.
At Pagdand, Christi works as a Program Advisor in an honorary capacity advising on day-to-day work and activities related to the Biodiversity, Conservation and Restoration Program (BCRP) and Environmental Policy Advocacy (EPA).

Mr. Kartik Upadhyay is a self-taught naturalist. He is a small-business entrepreneur. He believes nature can teach you something new every day, which is why he spends all his spare time travelling to beautiful forests exploring and photographing flora and fauna.
As an avid naturalist he has published more than 30 research articles. He is a regular volunteer for animal rescue efforts and animal censuses conducted by the Forest Department and has a keen interest in biodiversity conservation.

Mr. Nishith Dand Former Chairman of CII Central Gujarat Zonal Council and the Managing Director of Sure Safety(India) Pvt Ltd., a leading manufacturer of Safety equipment for the Industries, Defense, and Aerospace sectors. He is fondly known as the “Space Suit Man”, as Sure Safety is the first to manufacture the “Astronaut Crew Escape Suit” for ISRO. He is also credited with many a firsts for the Industry to ensure the Safety of the Industrial personnel specially in the fields of Respiratory and Body protection. Beside his entrepreneurial endeavors, Mr. Dand is passionate about biodiversity conservation and environmentalism. This passion led him to slay the foundation of ‘Pagdand’, an NGO, based in Vadodara, along with like minded people working in the area of biodiversity conservation. This is besides his proactive involvement in areas concerning the problems faced by the City of Vadodara like the tree plantation drive and relocation of trees being uprooted to widen the roads etc.

Rituja Mitra is a distinguished professional who spearheaded transformation in the domains of development, conservation, and environmental rights. With dual master’s degrees in sustainability and ecology, coupled with corporate communications management,
she fortified her expertise through a post-graduate diploma in environmental law.
During her employment using the provisions of the Gujarat’s Forest Rights Act, Rituja has helped marginalized communities, notably the Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) in Kachchh and Saurashtra.
Rituja is interested in the domain of socio-ecological research, conservation of biodiversity and natural resource management by emphasizing on collective efforts by the communities through their empowerment and also promoting it through local level institutions.
Currently, she serves as National Coordinator – Forest Rights Program at CFP.
At Pagdand, Rituja works as a Program Advisor in an honorary capacity advising on day-to-day work and activities related to the Biodiversity, Conservation and Restoration Program (BCRP) and Environmental Policy Advocacy (EPA).