What if planting a tree was as simple as reading the morning newspaper? Dainik Bhaskar turned this vision into reality with Ek Ped Ek Zindagi (One Tree One Life), a campaign that transformed newspapers into seed carriers, making tree plantation effortless.

India has lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000 — a 6% decline, as per Global Forest Watch. While many individuals express a desire to contribute to reforestation, they often struggle with motivation, resources, or simply knowing where to begin.

This initiative addressed these barriers head-on, ensuring that environmental awareness was not just talked about, but acted upon.

Seeds of change

At the heart of the campaign was a simple yet revolutionary idea: a newspaper you can plant; a newspaper that doesn’t just inform, but grows. Readers could cut a section of their daily paper, place it in soil, and nurture it into a tree.

By integrating sustainability directly into a daily habit, Dainik Bhaskar ensured widespread participation without disrupting routines.

To maximise the campaign’s reach and garner both personal and communal participation, a 360-degree media strategy was implemented:

• Print: Over 5 lakh square centimetre of ad space was dedicated to the campaign, with a special six-page seed-infused edition distributed in 20 towns.
• Radio: A powerful 5 lakh+ second radio campaign over 28 days created buzz across regions.
• Digital: 130+ influencers, including Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and known Bollywood actor and environmentalist Jackie Shroff amplified the message. The campaign even trended on Twitter/X.
• On-ground: Schools, offices, parks, and community spaces became engagement hubs, and people flocked together in large numbers.

How it went

With Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, Dainik Bhaskar crafted a powerful appeal video that significantly boosted the campaign’s reach, amassing 17 million views and inspiring widespread participation.

More than 50,000 readers engaged by sharing selfies with their plants. There were incentives with a personalised thank-you messages from Aamir Khan, acknowledging their contribution to this meaningful initiative.

The response was overwhelming. On launch day, 300,000 additional copies were circulated — a testament to the campaign’s immediate appeal. The initiative rapidly gained momentum, with 50,000 verified germinated plants contributing to the generation of 10 lakh liters of oxygen daily, benefiting approximately 3,500 people with cleaner air.

By making sustainability effortless and rewarding, Ek Ped Ek Zindagi set a new benchmark for environmental engagement. It wasn’t just about planting trees — it was about planting a mindset of change.

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