His hobby is creating gardens on city rooftops, balconies, offices and every corner of a home. For a decade he has worked tirelessly to bring a patch of green back to the brick-and-concrete city. In recognition, Md Rakibul Amin, owner of "Gardening Bangladesh", is receiving a national award in the tree research, conservation and innovation category of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's National Tree Planting Award 2025.

The award will be handed to him on Thursday, 9 July, at the opening of the month-long National Tree Fair at the China-Friendship Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will attend as chief guest.

Raised in Kushtia, Rakibul's love of nature began in childhood. While in class five he made a garden of roses and other flowers in his yard, and neighbours came to see it. His bond with nature took on a new dimension when he came to Dhaka in 2001 and enrolled in the botany department of Dhaka College, where he realised the city had more concrete than trees.

That realisation made him think that if nature could be brought back into the city, the city would regain some of its life. He gradually took up new kinds of work around floral decoration, landscape design, terrariums, paludariums and indoor gardening.

In 2019 he founded Gardening Bangladesh. The firm now greens roads, resorts, corporate offices, garment factories, housing projects, educational and religious institutions, eco-parks, lakes and private homes in Dhaka and elsewhere, and has completed more than a hundred landscape projects large and small.

Rakibul is now working on a "zero soil" idea: no bare soil should be left uncovered, and every empty space can be covered with grass, creepers or other plants. That would green the city and help counter the harmful effects of climate change.

He is planning a "Garden Mission" to turn urban greening into a social movement across the country, and also wants to reduce the spread of polythene and popularise eco-friendly living.

"I want people to go near a tree at least once a day," Rakibul Amin said. "A tree doesn't only give oxygen, it also keeps people's minds well. If I can leave a green Bangladesh for the next generation, that will be my greatest achievement." He said the award inspires him to move forward with greater responsibility.

This year the government has named 21 individuals and institutions in seven categories for the national tree planting awards. The list was published on 15 June in a notification from the Forest-2 branch of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

• Category A, educational institutions: first, the Textile Institute, Natore; second, Bangladesh Army University of Engineering and Technology (BAUET), Qadirabad Cantonment, Natore; third, Dumuria College, Khulna.
• Category B, union and upazila parishads, clubs and public and private organisations: first, the Korean EPZ, Karnaphuli, Chattogram; second, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) sector headquarters, Khagrachhari.
• Category C, individual tree planting: first, Md Shafiqul Islam of Chapainawabganj; second, Md Jahangir Kabir of Narail; joint third, Md Shahabaz Hossain Khan of Dhaka and Mosa. Ismatunnesa of Sunamganj.
• Category D, private nurseries: first, Faisal Nursery, Savar, Dhaka; second, Sathi Flower and Nursery, Bogura; third, Diploma Krishibid Nursery, Savar.
• Category E, rooftop gardens: first, Sharmin Akter of Rajshahi; second, Asfia Sabina of Dhaka; third, Arifa Siddika, administrator of Sherpur municipality.
• Category F, plantations raised by the Forest Department: first, the Coastal Forest Division, Patuakhali; second, the Social Forestry Division, Jashore; third, the Mymensingh Forest Division.
• Category G, tree research, conservation and innovation: first, Mahfuz Ahmed Russel, owner of the Pitachhara Forest and Wildlife Conservation Initiative, Khagrachhari; second, Md Rakibul Amin of Dhaka; third, Professor Mohammad Enamul Haque Khan of Cumilla.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.