Smiling Tree has an over 12-year-old legacy of conducting plantations, tree care and adoption events, environment awareness and anti-plastic campaigns, and activities that instill affection for our planet. Instead of generic messages to save the planet, our team asks its members to adopt a plant, wherein every individual was given a simple task: plant a tree and take care of its well-being. Unlike usual plantations where plants and saplings are forgotten after sowing, Smiling Tree takes care of every life it plants in the true spirit.
Smiling Tree has received recognition and has gained media attention for its innovative activities and events. From schools, colleges and homes to offices, our team is dedicated to motivating people, especially the younger generation, to lead a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle.
Committed to the cause of environment, Smiling Tree, founded by Dr Mukesh Kwatra, is a movement to reckon with. It has thus far planted over nine and a half lakh trees in and around Delhi-NCR region. It takes pride in innovating a range of products and designs such as vertical gardens made out of recycled used plastic bottles, planters carved out of car tyres, shoes & other waste materials, and much more. Smiling Tree has voluntarily installed Vertical Gardens made using old plastic bottles in scores of schools and colleges.
As a momentous 'first step' a 'SMILINGTREE GO GREEN WALK' was organized on the 15th of January, 2012 at Lodi Gardens, Delhi, India, by Nirbhay Kwatra, son of Dr Mukesh Kwatra, who was at that moment studying in 5th standard in Modern School, Delhi. The event was a great success thanks to an overwhelming and ardent response from the masses. Thousands of saplings have been planted at Hansraj College, Ramjas College, Delhi School of Economics, Vivekananda College, Lakshmibai College, Ambedkar Hospital, KR Manglam University, Roshanara Club in Delhi, Mother Teresa's Nirmal Hriday in Majnu Ka Tila, Modern School at Barakhamba Road, British School at Chanakyapuri, St Xavier's School in Civil Lines, Modern Early Years School, Elders Home Society in Rohini, Hari Nagar Leelawanti Saraswati School, Sri Ram College of Commerce, Gyan Bharati School, DDCA, Arya Samaj Center, Lalit Mahajan SVM School, Krishna Rattan Sports Academy, and at many more places. Over nine and a half lakhs of trees, shrubs and plants stand testimony to the selfless plantation drives carried out by Smiling Tree. It has been partnering with the Government too for plantation drives in Namami Gange Programme, a national mission to clean river Ganga, with Delhi Police having built an eco-friendly garden at Roop Nagar Police Station in Delhi, with Karur Vysya Bank, Rotary Club, Navyug Each One Teach One foundation, Platinum Motocorp of Maruti Suzuki, Knowledgentia Consultants, ACME Mobility Solutions, Help and Feed India Association, and many other organizations and institutions to carry out Plantation Drives and or gift plants at various other venues in and around Delhi. It has successfully motivated over a thousand people to adopt trees and care for them.
Smiling Tree planted 107 saplings at Vivekananda College and 107 saplings at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Delhi, in honor of the 107 medals won by India at Asian Games, 2023 held at Hangzhou, China. Smiling Tree also planted 111 medicinal plants at Lakshmibai College, University of Delhi, in honor of the historic 111 medals won by Indian para athletes in the recently concluded Para Asian Games, 2023.
Earlier, Smiling Tree took the initiative to plant 100 saplings for every medal won by India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. It planted 700 tree saplings for the seven medals won by India.
Smiling Tree has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with KR Mangalam University, Gurugram, Haryana. The primary objective of this MoU is to carry out plantations in villages adopted by KRMU and do periodic assessment of trees planted. Together they will be educating farmers organic way of farming and explain the harms of pesticides and chemical based fertilizers. They also undertake to jointly conduct Anti-Plastic Drives, environment awareness programs and motivate students to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Smiling Tree in collaboration with DC Office Gurugram, Haryana Government and KRMU conducted a Plantation Drive at Village Lakhuwas, Gurugram on 13th August, 2022, and planted 500 saplings to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav on the occasion of 'Har Ghar Tiranga'. Lakhuwas is one of the five villages adopted by KRMU. Another plantation was carried out during the Van Mahotsav week in July, 2023.
Smiling Tree has been conducting Plantation Drives at the Community Development & Leadership Summits organized by leading schools for the past several years. About 150 students from over 25 countries like USA, UK, Germany, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Philippines, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa etc participate in this green endeavor.
Smiling Tree along with various institutions it is associated with conducts Anti-Plastic Drives and environment awareness campaigns. An Anti-Plastic Drive was successfully held on 4 August, 2018 in the bustling city center of Connaught Place, New Delhi, to generate awareness and help people make concrete decisions against using plastic goods that are harmful to the environment. The need to create and spread sustainable, eco-friendly, economical and readily available alternatives of plastic commodities citizens use was the key reason behind conducting this Anti-Plastic drive.
key reason behind conducting this Anti-Plastic drive.
Smiling Tree developed a 2000 sq. feet garden at Mother Teresa's Nirmal Hriday at Majnu ka Tila, Delhi, in November, 2013. Children from Modern School participated in the event along with the host Nirbhay Kwatra, wherein they planted trees, shrubs, interacted with the Missionaries of charity, met the 215 patients at the institute.
Smiling Tree promotes the concept to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic. It introduced Ecobrick to students of schools and colleges. The idea behind Ecobricks was to ensure that plastics that are poorly disposed of are put to better use. Smiling Tree demonstrated how Ecobricks are a feasible alternative to construction material. All you need is a scrap plastic bottle, scrap bags, packets or wrappers and a stick.
Smiling Tree held a 'Reusing Plastic Bottles Workshop' at District Institute of Education and Training, Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi, on 23rd Novembe, 2023. The event was conducted by Dr Mukesh Kwatra, founder of Smiling Tree, engaging nearly 150 enthusiastic teachers in exploring innovative ways to repurpose plastic bottles. He demonstrated conversion of plastic bottles into planters of diverse designs, creation of vertical gardens utilizing recycled bottles, and informed them about the concept of Ecobricks as an eco-friendly building solution.
In sync with the Fit India Movement launched by our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Smiling Tree organized a 'Fit India Plogging Event' on October 2, 2019. The participants belonging to all age groups ran, walked on a stretch of app.5 kms. and alongside also did their bit for the environment by collecting plastic waste littered around which was disposed off later in a garbage bin.
Smiling Tree takes pride in planting twenty trees in remembrance of martyred Indian soldiers in URI, in Galwan Valley.
Smiling Tree also planted 21 saplings to honor the deeds of the 21 dauntless braveheart Param Vir Chakra recipients. Smiling Tree celebrated World Environment Day on 5th June, 2023 by engaging students to display a demo model for 'water harvesting' where rain and waste water is collected, stored and later used for productive purposes like gardening, washing clothes and cars etc.
On all important festivals or Days like Diwali, Christmas, New Year, Republic Day, Independence Day, Earth Day, Environment Day etc, on birthdays, on anniversaries, Smiling Tree and Dr Mukesh Kwatra make sure to gift plants to not only commemorate the occasion, but also to inculcate a culture of planting trees.
Smiling Tree also holds initiatives to recycle paper. It encourages students and people to bring in old books, magazines, newspapers, notebooks, notepads or any other paper stationary, for recycling. These are later recycled into text books and donated to underprivileged children. With this small step not only trees are saved from being cut down, but the entire process used less energy and water than paper made from wood pulp. It also saved waste paper from occupying landfill and producing methane as it breaks down.
Smiling Tree advocates, encourages and gives full support to all willing, to make a 'compost pit' at their institutes or homes. It not only takes care of dead leaves which would if burnt lead to increase in pollution, but also is an in-house source of natural organic compost/fertilizer.
Dr Mukesh Kwatra's green endeavor Smiling Tree has been frequently organizing grassroots campaign initiatives by engaging people, especially students, to spread awareness about the threat of climate change and how to tale care of environment by leading an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Smiling Tree organised a ‘Plantation Drive’ in which more than 100 saplings were planted by children with the support of 'Navyug Each One Teach One foundation'.
It was yet another step to connect kids with nature where they planted the saplings by sowing them in used plastic bottles mounted over clay pots. The clay pots were innovatively decorated as 'Krishna', righteously so as it was on the pious occasion of Janmashtami.
All the kids were very enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed the planting process bringing them closer to nature. Smiling Tree inspired the young ambassadors to treat the saplings as their friends, siblings n also name them. Kanha, Kanhaiya, Krishna, Gopi, Happy tree. Cutie, Sweetie, Chotu, Mahi, Bajrangi, Gopal, were a few of the many names given to the young saplings.
Smiling Tree has also made few compact medicinal herbal gardens at various institutions. Smiling Tree conducted an Earth Day Selfies campaign on April 21, 2020, during the lockdown due to Coronavirus Pandemic, to invite the environment aficionados to share their pictures in the backdrop of plants and trees.
It was inspirational to see a range of selfies that people clicked with their loved ones including partners and children. Smiling Tree has no qualms in admitting that our affection for trees is deep & strong, and the success of this campaign stands testimony to this.
SmilingTree held a Plantation Drive at Delhi and District Cricket Association's premises in Ferozshah Kotla ground, around the statue of former President of DDCA Shri Arun Jaitley, which was unveiled by Hon'ble HM Shri Amit Shah recently. Plants were gifted to him and other dignitaries too.
Smiling Tree created an innovative landscape, the 'Hall of Fame', a tribute to Indian Cricket and mark of respect to Team India and Roshanara Club's vintage legacy of Cricket!
On a green landscape it showcases art installations like three giant size cricket bats, balls and stumps, tricolor stones flowing from one corner to another, gloves in the background, and some exquisite flowers and plants all around. It displays historic achievements of Indian Cricket, as the ‘Men in Blue’ have proudly unfurled the tricolour on the global stage with three World Cup victories in 1983, 2007 (T-20) and 2011, so the three bats have the names of the respective team members as a mark of respect.
Smiling Tree also made innovative water fountains for an institute using earthen pots or 'matkas' and plants planted in recycled plastic bottles. Dr Kwatra has also made a beautiful Terrace Garden at his home which in his words is, 'a humble tribute to God of Cricket', Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Besides a variety of exclusive plants meticulously arranged there, it has a Vertical Garden where hundred used plastic bottles have been recycled into planters by him. As Sachin had scored 100 international centuries in his illustrious career, so, 'each bottle is a memorabilia for a century scored by him', says Mukesh. The bottles are lined up in four rows with colorful flowers like Salvia, Peutonia, Gazania and Dianthus planted in them. There is a laminated sticker on each bottle depicting the runs scored, the country he was playing against, the date and the place where he scored the century. He also created a Vertical Garden using old Tennis balls for writing the message 'Go Green' and recycled used plastic bottles as planters. He also made a crafty art piece, which is a concoction of five dead tree barks lying dumped. The art piece has plantation on the top portion with hanging planters on the sides. There are three lanters hanging in the middle. The master craft work is now a 'selfie point' at a garden in Delhi.
Besides, there are many more such green art and craft works which Dr Kwatra keeps on doing under the flagship of Smiling Tree.
Smiling Tree has so far planted over 950000 plants and trees in and around Delhi-NCR.