Green Mumbai: The tyre that never retires

The tyre does not retire Mission Green Mumbai the BMC Garden Department and Rotary Club of Mumbai North Island have given a new lease of life to defunct auto rickshaw tyres These wheels which were going to waste have been transformed into planters and installed at Patwardhan Park in Bandra WestldquoWe started by collecting auto rickshaw tyres that were discarded Then through the Internet we learnt how to fashion these into plantersrdquo Subhajit Mukherjee founder Mission Green Mumbai said about the project that evoked significant curiosity from walkers in the parkOrders pleaseThe security personnel at the garden which is opposite the National College on Linking Road said they have been ldquoflooded with orders for these planters We told them it is not for sale but walkers have been asking anywayrdquo they explained as Mukherjee showed the attractive tyre planters with the sides cut out to resemble a lotusThe tyre planter has a plate at the bottom Mukherjee explained adding ldquoWe have planted conifers in the 26 tyre planters One can use any plant that goes into small pots This is a classic example of turning waste into a workable solution It is also ethereal and tough so it ticks all the right boxesrdquoAlso Read Maharashtra Health dept officials sales tax commissioner get contempt noticeThe Rotary Club of North Island committee and members were at the park on the past weekend morning smiling as the initiative took off They said ldquoThe BMC told us to undertake the project in this garden We are so enthused by the initial response It has really fired up peoplersquos imaginationrdquoGiving backPushpa S president of the club said ldquoWe have also undertaken various rainwater harvesting projects in different gardens The point is giving back and we think people should see Diwali gifting in this light too where you give something back to the cityrdquoThe club members added ldquoRotary is very well networked So if this has been started by one club then we will see awareness spreading to others Thousands of members may seek to emulate this seeing its success This can be a role model for othersrdquoThinking questioningFor the club spokespersons ldquoit is important that people start asking questions for only then will they embark on a journey for possible solutions That question can be why is it raining in October Is this climate change Is it becoming hotter every year When we start asking and thinking we realise that we need to become stakeholders in combating climate change which is not some esoteric concept but affects us directlyrdquoOutdoor lessonsDr Mona Kejriwal associate professor Department of Botany R D National College pointed to youngsters most of them college students milling around the planters and said ldquoThis is a classic case of learning outside the classroom Here the students are getting handson experience and the concept of greening comes aliverdquoMukherjee added ldquoThis is an evolving idea We can get bigger tyres and make a design in a garden The best part of this is that it is very durable We are also thinking of placing these on dividers with all permissions of course A divider of tyres will be very eyecatching It is very nascent yet but there are many possibilitiesrdquoBMC speakJitendra Pardesi superintendent of gardens and tree officer BMC said ldquoTyre planters are just one more project in our outreach to promote ecofriendly measures The key of course is that they should be sustainable and accessible It is an ongoing effort that aims to touch the lives of so many people The tyre planters can also be used in balconies and on terraces Today you get vegetables from outside that have chemicals You can grow your own pure leafy vegetables in these plantersrdquo