Staff Reporter, Dhaka : The Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (DOEH) of Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS) organized a free tree distribution program at the BUHS campus on Thursday to mark World Environment Day 2026, themed “Inspired by Nature: For Climate. For Our Future.”

Vice Chancellor Professor Dr JMA Hannan and University Treasurer Professor Dr. Sk Akhtar Ahmad jointly inaugurated the event by planting two fruit-bearing saplings on the campus grounds. Dean of the Faculty of Public Health Prof. Dr. Begum Rowshan Ara, Head of the Department Prof. Dr. Mahmud Hossain Faruquee, Prof. Dr. AFM Sarwar Hossain, and Associate Professor Dr Saika Nizam were also present at the ceremony.

Funded by the university’s alumni association and organized with the active support of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the department, the program distributed free saplings to passersby, local shopkeepers, and daily-wage workers in the surrounding neighborhood. Students prepared manuals on tree care and cultivation techniques, which were also handed out to recipients alongside the trees.

“This initiative reflects our belief that environmental health and public health are inseparable. By handing out trees to ordinary people, workers, shopkeepers, and passersby, we aim to not only create trees but also build a lasting culture of environmental responsibility throughout our society,” said Prof. Dr. Mahmud Hossain Faruquee, Head of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.

Among the alumni who attended the event were Ali Kamal Mustafa Rubel, Dr. Suverthy Dey and Suravi Biswas. The student organizers behind the program included Azizul Hoque Mozumder, Shafin Rahman Mahi, Sudipta Kumar Mondal, Monira Monorama, Tasnim Akter Mumu, KM Fahim Rahman Rafee and Yeasir Arafat.