Discover the Green Jewel of Pakistan: Chichawatni Forest!

Nestled in the heart of Punjab, the Chichawatni Forest is a testament to nature’s resilience and human dedication. Covering an expansive area of approximately 19,210 acres, this man-made wonder is home to around 2.5 to 3 million trees!

Originally planted during the British colonial period, Chichawatni Forest stands as one of Pakistan’s largest man-made forests. It’s not just a haven for diverse flora and fauna but also a crucial ecological zone providing timber, combating desertification, and offering a serene escape for nature lovers.

Whether you’re an environmental enthusiast, a student, or simply someone looking to reconnect with nature, Chichawatni Forest has something for everyone. Let’s celebrate and protect this incredible natural treasure for future generations!

#ChichawatniForest #Nature #Conservation #Pakistan #GreenPakistan #Ecology #Forestry #SahiwalDistrict

Anyone know them ?

Salam Rehan Bhai

Hope you are at bliss and near activation of pineal gland

Rehan Bhai, can you somehow connect me with Gul Fatima Leghari, only daughter of Sardar Jaffar khan Leghari who was the kind of a King here in this region, but her daughter is so close to Nature and Ecology and if she joins Ecoist, we can change the fate of this region.

Ill be hopeful that youll find a way to connect me with her.

🏻

This week Apple just invested a billion dollars in the youngest billion-dollar CEO in China, 33 year old Cheng Wei.

Cheng Wei started his car-riding company (now known as “Didi Chuxing”) in June 2012 when he was 29 years old. Today, at only 33 years old, his four-year-old company is worth $20 billion after Apple’s investment, eclipsing the size of Uber in China.

How does a young 30-something grow a business that fast in four years? Here’s 3 steps out of the many Cheng Wei took that you can follow today:

STEP ONE - START BY EARNING WHILE YOU’RE LEARNING

Before his new start-up, Cheng Wei worked for 7 years through his 20s at Alibaba. First in sales, and then with Alipay, the ‘Paypal’ of Alibaba. Without that experience, he wouldn’t have had the expertise and insight to create a Chinese car-sharing site at the same time Uber was starting in the US.

Unbelievably, despite starting a company that today enables over one billion car rides each year, Cheng Wei still hasn’t learned how to drive. But instead of seeing this being a handicap, he says it makes him his company’s ideal customer, as he needs to get rides everywhere he goes. So every day, hes learning as he takes rides with his companys customers.

STEP TWO - BE THE CONNECTOR OF GIANTS

Cheng Wei says the early days were anything but easy: “When the company was founded, we didn’t expect to face the cruelest competition, the strictest regulation, the most complicated games among giants and capitals, and the highest frequency of media exposure in history as an internet company.”

After struggling in the early years against many competitors and government regulations, Cheng Wei made a genius move a year ago, merging his company (then called Didi Dache) with his biggest competitor, Kuaidi Dache, in a $6 billion merger. This brought together the two company’s backers - the two biggest tech giants in China, Baidu and Alibaba, in one massive joint venture. By turning all his potential competition into allies, he eliminated his competition.

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

STEP THREE - STAY FOCUSED!

Today, Cheng Wei’s company has 99% share of China’s taxi-hailing market and 87% of the private-car hailing market. Didi Chuxing operates in 400 cities compared to Uber which is only in 45 cities.

How has Cheng Wei achieved this incredible domination? By staying focused (He only operates in China) and being mission focused: To help China to be more mobile. That’s what has attracted Apple to invest $1 billion this week, their biggest investment this year.

As Cheng Wei says ““The endorsement from Apple is an enormous encouragement and inspiration for our four-year-old company. Didi will work hard with our drivers, riders and global partners, to make available to every citizen flexible and reliable mobility choices, and help cities solve transportation, environmental and employment challenges.”

That single focus gives Didi a big mission riding on the big technological disruptions coming in the next decade: to help solve the pollution in Chinese cities.

As Cheng Wei said at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing last month: “Didi intends to build out an open platform with leading machine learning capabilities where ride share solutions, electric vehicles and self-driving technologies link up riders and drivers with different needs in a sustainable and inclusive urban ecology.

(As Didi’s official registered name is “Xiaojo” which means “Little Orange”, Didi later joked on Weibo that the real reason Apple invested was both companies were the names of fruit).

What lesson can you take from Cheng Wei? How can you earn while you learn? Who should you collaborate with today? And how can you have one, purposeful, focus so you can delete the rest?

Whether you are just getting started, in the early days of your business, or facing both external and internal growing pains, Cheng Wei’s 4-year, $20-billion, turbo-charged story has one underlying message:

Stay in the right gear at the right speed at the right time, and you can always accelerate out of trouble.

"There are no speed limits on the road to success." ~ David W. Johnson

UPDATE - AUG 1st: Cheng Wei has just made his biggest alliance to date - with his arch-rival, Uber. On 1st Aug Didi & Uber China announced a merger.

In the deal, Didi gets all of Ubers China operations and Uber gets 20% of Didi at a $35 billion valuation - which is a 75% increase in the $20 billion valuation when Apple invested $1 billion just 10 weeks ago (when I wrote the post above). Didi is also investing $1 billion in Uber at a $68 billion valuation.

The result will be that Uber will become the largest shareholder in Didi, and Didi will become one of the largest shareholders in Uber.

In the new economic paradigm, competition erodes value and collaboration adds value. What big competitor could you partner with today?

Shared via Roger James Hamilton - Add to learn amazing things from him

The Japanese education system is so revolutionary that it currently trains children as "World Citizens", not Japanese.

In Japan, a revolutionary pilot scheme called "Brave Change" (Futoji no henko), based on the Erasmus, Grundtvig, Monnet, Ashoka and Comenius educational programs.

It’s a shift in concept. They will understand and accept different cultures and their horizons will be global, not national.
The 12-year program is based on concepts:

- Zero fillers.
- Zero Homework .
- And it only has 5 subjects, which are:

1. Corporate arithmetic.
Basic operations and use of financial calculators .

2. Reading.
They start by reading a page of the book each child chooses and end by reading one book a week.

3. Citizenship.
Meaning this, as total respect for laws, civil values, ethics, respect for the rules of coexistence, tolerance, altruism and respect for ecology and the environment.

4. Computer Science.
Office, Internet, social networks and online activities.

5. Language.
4 or 5 Alphabets, Cultures, Religions, including Japanese, Latin, English, German, Chinese, Arabic; with socializing exchange visits to families from each country during the summer.

What will be the result of this show?

Young people who at 18 speak 4 languages, know 4 cultures, 4 alphabets.

- They are experts in using their computers and mobile phones as work tools.
- They read 52 books a year.
- Respect for the law, ecology and coexistence.
- They handle business and finance arithmetic perfectly.

Sharing as found

Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in coastal intertidal zones. They are known for their distinctive root systems, which are adapted to saline and brackish water conditions. Here are some key characteristics of mangroves:

1. **Unique Root Systems**: Mangroves have complex root systems that allow them to survive in the fluctuating conditions of coastal environments. These roots often protrude above the water level, which helps in gas exchange and stabilizes the trees in loose, muddy substrates.

2. **Salt Tolerance**: Mangroves are highly salt-tolerant. They can either exclude salt from their systems or secrete it through their leaves.

3. **Biodiversity Hotspots**: Mangrove forests are rich in biodiversity, providing habitat for a wide range of marine and terrestrial species. They serve as nurseries for many fish species, and are also important for birds, mammals, and invertebrates.

4. **Coastal Protection**: Mangroves protect coastlines from erosion, storm surge, and tsunamis. Their root systems help in stabilizing the shoreline and reducing the impact of waves.

5. **Climate Change Mitigation**: Mangroves play a significant role in carbon sequestration, thus aiding in the fight against climate change.

6. **Economic Importance**: They are valuable for fisheries, timber, and as tourist attractions. Local communities often depend on mangroves for their livelihoods.

7. **Threats**: Despite their importance, mangrove forests are under threat due to factors like deforestation, pollution, and climate change-related sea-level rise.

Mangrove ecosystems are found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including parts of Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Oceania. Their conservation is crucial for maintaining coastal ecology and supporting local communities.

عزیز سکول کے پرنسپلز اور مالکان،

مجھے آپ سے ایک اہم مسئلہ پر گفتگو کرنے کی ضرورت ہے جو نہ صرف ہمارے ملک بلکہ پوری دنیا کو درپیش ہے۔ ماحولیاتی تبدیلی کے مسئلہ کو حل کرنے کے لئے ہمیں فوری اور اجتماعی کارروائی کی ضرورت ہے۔ ہمارے سکولوں میں بے پناہ صلاحیت موجود ہے کہ وہ ماحولیاتی بہتری کے لئے ایک مثبت کردار ادا کریں۔

میری تجویز ہے کہ پانچویں جماعت اور اس سے اوپر کے تمام طلباء کے لئے یہ لازمی کیا جائے کہ وہ ہر روز ایک پھل کا درخت لگائیں۔ طلباء اپنے گھروں میں کھائے گئے پھلوں کے بیج یا اپنے محلے سے جمع کئے گئے بیجوں کو استعمال کرسکتے ہیں۔ ان بیجوں کو پودوں میں تبدیل کریں اور سکول کے ارد گرد اور اپنے محلے میں لگائیں۔

اس منصوبے کے مقاصد یہ ہیں:

1. **ماحولیاتی تحفظ کا فروغ**: طلباء کو درخت لگانے میں شامل کرکے ہم ان میں کم عمری سے ہی ماحول کی حفاظت کا شعور پیدا کرسکتے ہیں۔
2. **ماحولیاتی تبدیلی کا مقابلہ**: درخت کاربن ڈائی آکسائیڈ کو جذب کرتے ہیں اور آکسیجن خارج کرتے ہیں، اس طرح یہ گرین ہاؤس گیسوں کو کم کرنے اور ماحولیاتی تبدیلی کا مقابلہ کرنے میں مددگار ثابت ہوتے ہیں۔
3. **ہوا کے معیار میں بہتری اور حیاتیاتی تنوع**: درخت لگانے سے ہوا کے معیار میں بہتری آتی ہے اور مقامی حیاتیاتی تنوع کو فروغ ملتا ہے۔
4. **سماجی شرکت**: طلباء کو اپنے محلے میں درخت لگانے کی ترغیب دے کر ہم اجتماعی کوشش اور کمیونٹی سپرٹ کو فروغ دے سکتے ہیں۔

**عمل درآمد کے اقدامات**:
1. **بیج جمع کرنا**: طلباء کو گھروں میں کھائے گئے پھلوں کے بیج اور اپنے محلے سے جمع کئے گئے بیج جمع کرنے کی ترغیب دیں۔
2. **پودے کی پرورش**: سکول میں ایک چھوٹا سا نرسری قائم کریں جہاں طلباء ان بیجوں کو پودوں میں تبدیل کرسکیں۔
3. **درخت لگانا**: باقاعدہ درخت لگانے کی مہمات کا انعقاد کریں جہاں طلباء ان پودوں کو سکول کے ارد گرد اور اپنے محلے میں لگائیں۔
4. **نگرانی**: طلباء کو درختوں کی دیکھ بھال کرنے کی تربیت دیں تاکہ وہ بڑھ سکیں اور پھل پھول سکیں۔

**فائدے**:
- **تعلیمی**: حیاتیات، ماحولیات اور ماحولیاتی سائنس کے بارے میں عملی تعلیم فراہم کرتا ہے۔
- **صحت**: درخت ہوا کے معیار کو بہتر بناتے ہیں، جو کہ کمیونٹی کی صحت اور فلاح و بہبود کو بڑھا سکتے ہیں۔
- **سماجی**: جب طلباء، اساتذہ اور خاندان ایک مشترکہ مقصد کی طرف کام کرتے ہیں تو یہ ٹیم ورک اور کمیونٹی سپرٹ کو فروغ دیتا ہے۔

یہ منصوبہ عالمی مقاصد کے مطابق ہے کہ ماحولیاتی تبدیلی کا مقابلہ کیا جائے اور یہ دوسرے کمیونٹیز کے لئے ایک ماڈل کے طور پر کام کرسکتا ہے۔ میں آپ سے درخواست کرتا ہوں کہ اس منصوبے کو سنجیدگی سے لیں اور اپنے سکولوں میں نافذ کریں۔

اس مسئلے میں آپ کی قیادت ایک اہم فرق ڈال سکتی ہے۔ ہم مل کر اپنے طلباء کو ایک پائیدار مستقبل کی تعمیر میں فعال کردار ادا کرنے کے لئے بااختیار بنا سکتے ہیں۔

آپ کی توجہ اور اس اہم مسئلہ پر کارروائی کے لئے شکریہ۔

خلوص سے،
ریہان اللہ والا

To: School Principals and Owners in Pakistan

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Dear School Principals and Owners,

I am writing to request your urgent intervention to address the critical issue of climate change that our country and the world are facing. Given the immense potential within our schools to contribute to a greener and healthier environment, I propose a proactive initiative that involves our students in combating climate change.

I propose that it be made mandatory for all students from 5th grade and above to plant one fruit tree every day. Students can use seeds from fruits they eat at home or collect seeds from their neighborhood. These seeds can be nurtured into seedlings and planted around the school premises and in their neighborhoods.

With this initiative, we aim to:

1. **Promote Environmental Stewardship**: By involving students in tree planting, we instill a sense of responsibility towards the environment from a young age.
2. **Combat Climate Change**: Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, thus helping reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change.
3. **Improve Air Quality and Biodiversity**: Planting trees improves air quality and supports local biodiversity.
4. **Foster Community Engagement**: Encouraging students to plant trees in their neighborhoods fosters a sense of community and collective effort.

**Implementation Steps**:
1. **Seed Collection**: Encourage students to collect seeds from fruits consumed at home and from their neighborhoods.
2. **Seedling Nurturing**: Set up a small nursery in the school where students can nurture these seeds into seedlings.
3. **Planting**: Organize regular tree-planting drives where students plant these seedlings around the school and their neighborhoods.
4. **Monitoring**: Educate students on how to care for the trees they plant to ensure their growth and survival.

**Benefits**:
- **Educational**: Provides hands-on learning about biology, ecology, and environmental science.
- **Health**: Trees improve air quality, which can enhance the health and well-being of the community.
- **Social**: Promotes teamwork and community spirit as students, teachers, and families work together towards a common goal.

This initiative aligns with the global goals to fight climate change and can serve as a model for other communities. I urge you to take this initiative seriously and implement it in your schools.

Your leadership in this matter can make a significant difference. Together, we can empower our students to become active participants in building a sustainable future.

Thank you for your attention and commitment to this urgent cause.

Sincerely,
Rehan Allahwala

Meet Mathew Bobby Verghese, seen in the TEDx Christ University event, is an Assistant Professor at the School of International Relations and Politics at Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), Kerala. His areas of expertise include political ecology, urban reconfigurations, and the political economy of globalization. Varghese holds a PhD from the University of Bergen, Norway, and has conducted postdoctoral research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. His research has also delved into ecological infrastructure in urban settings, particularly in the Durban region.

He has authored and co-edited several academic works, such as *Urban Utopias: Excess and Expulsion in Neoliberal South Asia*, and is involved in various interdisciplinary initiatives, including directing the Centre for Urban Studies at MGU. His academic focus encompasses urban anthropology, human ecology, and the political geography of the Anthropocene.

Varghese is also associated with several international research collaborations and projects, adding to his extensive academic and research credentials in the fields of urban processes and political design in the contemporary world [oai_citation:3,Dr. Mathew A. Varghese - MG School of International Relations and Politics : MG School of International Relations and Politics](https://sirp.mgu.ac.in/dr-mathew-a-varghese/) [oai_citation:2,Mathew A. Varghese - Sustainable Futures](https://sustainablefuturesglobal.org/mathew-a-varghese/) [oai_citation:1,MGU](https://mgu.irins.org/profile/265239).