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Today is World Environment Day. The official theme for World Environment Day 2026 is “Inspired by Nature. For the Climate. For Our Future.” The main goal of this year’s campaign is to encourage urgent climate action and promote nature-based solutions to address global warming, restore ecosystems, and strengthen resilience against climate change. This year, the Republic of Azerbaijan served as the global host of the celebration. When we were living in Bangladesh, we always tried to participate in the special activities organized by the National Phulkuri Children’s Organization on this day. Tree-planting programs were one of the main activities. We, the children and teenagers, would plant saplings together and enjoy taking part in these environmental initiatives. We also made it a tradition to visit the annual Tree Fair with our family whenever possible. When I was in Grade 4, my younger uncle took us to the Tree Fair, where we bought a cardamom plant and a lemon tree sapling and planted them in pots on the rooftop of our house. When the lemon tree eventually started bearing fruit, our joy knew no bounds. Alhamdulillah, it was a wonderful experience. Now, at the house where we live, my father bought two cherry trees for the front yard and two apple tree saplings for the backyard from a nursery last year, and we planted them together. Alhamdulillah, after the winter ended this year, fresh leaves began to grow on the trees. The cherry trees have also bloomed beautifully. Overall, whenever my father and I water the trees, the feeling is truly special. The trees feel like cherished members of our family, and we have developed a deep connection with them. Jarif Ibn Jalal