When Kirtida Mekani first arrived in Singapore, she was struck by the lush greenery of the scenic drive into town from Changi Airport. A seed was planted in her mind that some years later blossomed as the Plant-A-Tree programme that has so far seen more than 76,000 trees planted across the island by organisations and members of the public.

Kirtida’s contributions to environmental protection in Singapore were recognised in 2015 when she received the prestigious President’s Award for the Environment.

Kirtida and her husband, Bharat Mekani, moved to Singapore from India in 1990 and eventually became citizens. They soon became known as the ‘green couple’ because of their unwavering commitment to environmental causes at the grassroots level.

Kirtida’s love for nature began early in life when, as a child, she walked past a compost pit in the backyard of her family’s farm in Karnataka, India. Inquisitively, she asked her father why this ‘smelly thing’ was there. Her father arranged for Kirtida to spend a day with the farm’s caretaker, who showed her how the ‘smelly’ compost pit would some months later become fertile, life-giving soil. This opened her eyes to the beauty of nature’s recycling processes and led to her lifelong commitment to environmental causes and the belief that people, and especially the young, should be encouraged to connect with nature.

In 1993 Kirtida became the founding executive director of the Singapore Environment Council. During her four-year tenure she designed and implemented more than 50 environmental protection programmes and educational projects for schools, businesses, and the community. After stepping down from the position she continued to be active and took the lead in many community environmental education programmes.

The initiative she is proudest of is the Plant-A-Tree programme, where organisations and individuals can, for a donation of $300, plant a tree in the green spaces managed by the National Parks Board, or NParks.

Kirtida got the idea for the programme when she learnt that Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew launched in 1963 a tree-planting campaign. She proposed to NParks that a scheme be started to get members of the public to plant trees, but they initially said it was unlikely the public would support it. Kirtida, however, was sure that there would be good response. She persisted and was able to get NParks’ commitment.

Launched in 2007, the Plant-A-Tree programme has seen more than 76,000 trees planted in Singapore, and it has introduced over 200 species of native trees from the region, thus enhancing the island’s biodiversity. The programme has brought more than 100,000 Singaporeans from all walks of life closer to nature as they experience the joy of planting a tree with their own hands. The support from both organisations and individuals for the programme remains strong.

Kirtida is a member of the Garden City Fund Management Committee, NPark’s registered charity and outreach arm. She also serves as an ambassador for the NParks gardening movement, Community in Bloom (CIB). There are now more than 1,900 community gardens in Singapore, and these are cared for by more than 45,000 community gardeners.

Passionate about educating the young about nature and getting them involved in environmental protection, Kirtida serves and has served on the boards and committees of a host of schools and educational institutions.

She is, for example, a trustee of the United World College of Southeast Asia (UWCSEA) Foundation. In 2004 she supported the creation by UWCSEA of the Rainforest Restoration Project which sees students running specialised nurseries to grow threatened rainforest tree species. Working with NParks, the students are planting some of their propagated rainforest trees along the Rail Corridor.
In 2016 Kirtida co-founded the Biomimicry Singapore Network which aims to unite a diversity of people – biologists, engineers, designers, architects, lawyers, entrepreneurs, institutions, and corporates – to learn about nature-inspired innovation. An example of biomimicry is Velcro, which was invented in 1941 by a Swiss engineer when he removed burrs from his dog and noticed the small hooks at the end of the burr needles.

Apart from the environment and education, Kirtida is also passionate about the arts and business. She sits on the LASALLE College of the Arts board and the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society management committee and is an accomplished ceramist who has exhibited her work.

When Kirtida Mekani first arrived in Singapore, she was struck by the lush greenery of the scenic drive into town from Changi Airport. A seed was planted in her mind that some years later blossomed as the Plant-A-Tree programme that has so far seen more than 76,000 trees planted across the island by organisations and members of the public.

Kirtida’s contributions to environmental protection in Singapore were recognised in 2015 when she received the prestigious President’s Award for the Environment.

Kirtida and her husband, Bharat Mekani, moved to Singapore from India in 1990 and eventually became citizens. They soon became known as the ‘green couple’ because of their unwavering commitment to environmental causes at the grassroots level.

Kirtida’s love for nature began early in life when, as a child, she walked past a compost pit in the backyard of her family’s farm in Karnataka, India. Inquisitively, she asked her father why this ‘smelly thing’ was there. Her father arranged for Kirtida to spend a day with the farm’s caretaker, who showed her how the ‘smelly’ compost pit would some months later become fertile, life-giving soil. This opened her eyes to the beauty of nature’s recycling processes and led to her lifelong commitment to environmental causes and the belief that people, and especially the young, should be encouraged to connect with nature.

In 1993 Kirtida became the founding executive director of the Singapore Environment Council. During her four-year tenure she designed and implemented more than 50 environmental protection programmes and educational projects for schools, businesses, and the community. After stepping down from the position she continued to be active and took the lead in many community environmental education programmes.

The initiative she is proudest of is the Plant-A-Tree programme, where organisations and individuals can, for a donation of $300, plant a tree in the green spaces managed by the National Parks Board, or NParks.

Kirtida got the idea for the programme when she learnt that Singapore’s first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew launched in 1963 a tree-planting campaign. She proposed to NParks that a scheme be started to get members of the public to plant trees, but they initially said it was unlikely the public would support it. Kirtida, however, was sure that there would be good response. She persisted and was able to get NParks’ commitment.

Launched in 2007, the Plant-A-Tree programme has seen more than 76,000 trees planted in Singapore, and it has introduced over 200 species of native trees from the region, thus enhancing the island’s biodiversity. The programme has brought more than 100,000 Singaporeans from all walks of life closer to nature as they experience the joy of planting a tree with their own hands. The support from both organisations and individuals for the programme remains strong.

Kirtida is a member of the Garden City Fund Management Committee, NPark’s registered charity and outreach arm. She also serves as an ambassador for the NParks gardening movement, Community in Bloom (CIB). There are now more than 1,900 community gardens in Singapore, and these are cared for by more than 45,000 community gardeners.

Passionate about educating the young about nature and getting them involved in environmental protection, Kirtida serves and has served on the boards and committees of a host of schools and educational institutions.

She is, for example, a trustee of the United World College of Southeast Asia (UWCSEA) Foundation. In 2004 she supported the creation by UWCSEA of the Rainforest Restoration Project which sees students running specialised nurseries to grow threatened rainforest tree species. Working with NParks, the students are planting some of their propagated rainforest trees along the Rail Corridor.
In 2016 Kirtida co-founded the Biomimicry Singapore Network which aims to unite a diversity of people – biologists, engineers, designers, architects, lawyers, entrepreneurs, institutions, and corporates – to learn about nature-inspired innovation. An example of biomimicry is Velcro, which was invented in 1941 by a Swiss engineer when he removed burrs from his dog and noticed the small hooks at the end of the burr needles.

Apart from the environment and education, Kirtida is also passionate about the arts and business. She sits on the LASALLE College of the Arts board and the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society management committee and is an accomplished ceramist who has exhibited her work.