New Delhi, Jun 5: Coffee chain Barista Wednesday rolled out a campaign of gifting specially packed plant seeds to its customers at its 200-odd cafes and kiosks across the country with an aim to encourage people to plant trees on the occasion of World Environment Day.

The "#Gogreen initiative" has been launched in association with Detel Foundation to create awareness about the need to increase the forest cover to address air pollution, which is the theme of this year's World Environment Day celebrated on June 5. World Environment Day 2019: Government of India Launches #SelfieWithSapling Initiative.

"Air pollution in India has touched catastrophic levels, a large portion of our population being impacted by the same. Since India is home to 13 of top 20 worldwide cities reeling under the impact of air pollution, planting trees is one of the significant efforts to fight against air pollution," Barista CEO Puneet Gulati said in a statement.

Barista's initiative of gifting seeds encourages people to make positive contribution in improving the green cover. Barista's pan India presence allows the company to reach across 48 towns and educate customers on steps to be taken to develop the green cover, he added. The company hopes that this initiative will help make a significant contribution towards this direction, he added.

Detel Foundation Founder Gitika Bhatia said, "protecting the environment is the responsibility of every individual and through this initiative, we are encouraging people to plant trees and improve their health.” Currently, Barista has 200-odd cafes and Barista Express kiosks in India and 20 stores in Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal.