Both SCAD and Salt of the Earth believe in promoting the best environmental practices and support organic farming. Our biggest contribution to this is our Tree Planting Scheme and in the last three years we have paid for the planting of over 300,000 trees through our campaign to Plant a Tree for 50p”. Trees not only store carbon, they also improve the chance of rainfall and soil fertility, provide shade and reduce the local temperature as well as providing income for the owners. Trees have been planted in the grounds of schools, prisons, Churches and Temples as well as in backyards and and spare unoccupied land in and around the villages. SCAD has set up regional nurseries to grow suitable indigenous saplings and, after the tree keeper is trained, are distributed free of charge.

We have also supported the promotion of organic kitchen gardens and over ten thousand families have benefited. Training in growing and compost making is given to a family member and a starter pack of seeds is provided. The produce of these gardens not only saves the families money it also provides a much better quality and variety of food. This is particularly important in a society that suffers from malnutrition with steeply rising vegetable and fruit prices.

We also have promoted and paid for the expenses of a ten acre organic vegetable and fruit growing farm situated on the SCAD campus at Cheramahadevei. The produce from the farm goes to the Anbu Illam school for children with learning and physical difficulties and students from the educational establishments on the campus contribute their labour for free.