On May 21st, 2016, the BAPS Charities Walk Green in Lowell, MA saw enthusiastic involvement from the local community, hosting over 443 walkers who walked in support of saving the environment.

This year, BAPS Charities Walk Green, organized in more than 50 cities across North America, supported The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to plant and restore over 1.6 million acres of land by planting one billion trees by 2025 through their Plant a Billion Trees initiative.

Increased development, disease infestations, and the effects of climate change are all factors threatening America’s forests and the basis for sustaining life on Earth. The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. With over 1 million members, the organization protects more than 119 million acres of land, thousands of miles of rivers, and operates more than 100 marine conservation projects globally since 1951.

In collaboration with them, BAPS Charities walks across North America, appropriately named Walk Green, will contribute to rejuvenating our dying forests by helping plant over 70,000 trees in 2016.

This year’s walk brought together participants of all ages. The walk launched with a traditional prayer for world peace and an opening speech by Rita Mercier, City Councilor.  Our distinguished guests Praveena Naduthota, VP of India Association of Greater Boston, Gauri Chandna, Founder of Foundations TV and Winner of Mrs. New England Jewel of India Pageant, Cameron Bruns and Gail from The Nature Conservancy Boston, along with City Councilor honored the event with ribbon ceremony to start the walk. 

Chirag from Chelmsford MA, a participant in the event, said, "When it comes to the environment, I do little things like recycle at home and shop with reusable grocery bags.  But today, I feel like I am part of a much bigger effort to save the environment.  Coming out here today and walking with my wife and parents, I couldn’t think of a better way to help raise awareness and contribute to such a great cause”.

BAPS Charities undertakes many such charitable events throughout the year to support the community. In addition to annual walkathons across over fifty cities in North America, BAPS Charities hosts a variety of programs to support healthy living, environmental awareness and education initiatives.

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About BAPS Charities

BAPS Charities is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit international charity organization committed to sincerely serving the world by caring for individuals, families, and communities. It is affiliated with BAPS as an independent charity and social services arm. The 55,000 BAPS volunteers networked in over 3,300 centers around the world provide over 12 million volunteer-hours of service annually.

Among social service charities, BAPS Charities is a well-respected and trusted name. It has amassed over 50 years of firsthand experience in initiating, managing, and sustaining 160 humanitarian operations throughout the world in such diverse fields as: medical services, environmental services, community services, tribal services, and disaster relief services.

For additional information on BAPS Charities and its international and local philanthropic activities, please visit www.bapscharities.org.

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