// Katherine Johnson As winter temperature drops approach, it is the perfect time to make changes in energy consumption and reducing environmental impact. Winter may seem like a sustainability challenge, but using the right strategies to limit the carbon footprint can be incredibly helpful to the environment. Website and Blog, Better Meets Reality, shares a detailed list of winter sustainability practices. Thermostat:   When you’re out of the house, or asleep, lower the heat

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie Loneliness and homelessness ere largely increasing across the globe, with Pakistan being no exception. We have to address this issue of equity and public health in a meaningful manner.  Late at night in Lahore’s empty railway siding, a former factory worker named Amir sits wrapped in a thin shawl, watching distant headlights slide past the city’s glow. Until six months ago, he enjoyed steady work on the assembly line, a modest rented room, and festi

// Mahvish Chishtie Known in herbal medicine as Tukhme-e-Kahū (تخم کاهو), lettuce seeds are a traditional remedy quietly passed down through generations. Extracted from mature lettuce plants ( Lactuca sativa ), these tiny seeds may not be common in everyday kitchens, but they hold a special place in Unani and Ayurvedic systems for their cooling, sedative, and heart-calming properties. In a world of constant stress, sleeplessness, and digestive woes, this humble seed could be

// Zahrah Nasir Let us begin the New Year by creating a pristine, unblemished, canvas of white, shine-in-the-night flowers, with delightful fragrance as a heady bonus.   White flowers not only glow in the dark and glisten in sunlight, they also introduce a note of classical elegance to any garden. They tend to be magnets for glorious butterflies, honey bees and many exquisite species of night-flying moths.   Fresh and full of the joys of life, white flowers, especially when p

// Dr. Mahjabeen As winter arrives, most of us prepare warm clothes, food supplies, and heated homes. But there is another community quietly preparing for the cold — one that plays a far more vital role in our daily lives than we often realize: the honeybees. Every year, particularly in South Asian countries, wild honeybee nests are destroyed during the onset of winter. Some people do it to collect honey, others out of fear, and many simply because they are unaware of how cri

// Sultan Kiani Here are some safety tips to avoid common legal issues in Pakistan. I recently came across a troubling story about a citizen who narrowly avoided arrest due to a seemingly minor mistake. Sajid (name changed for privacy) described in a Facebook post that he received a call from the local police one day, asking him to report to the police station. He had been accused of issuing a bogus cheque. However, he had never issued any cheque with fraudulent intent; it wa

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie Cities in Pakistan are expanding rapidly, but this urban growth is coming at a serious ecological cost. As concrete replaces soil, garbage outpaces greenery, and trees disappear from neighbourhoods, a quiet imbalance is setting in across the ecosystems of our urban landscapes. While a few animal species, especially crows in urban centers across Pakistan, seem to thrive in this changing environment, many others are disappearing. This article explores

Bricks, Industry, Agriculture, Coal plants, Vehicle Emissions, Air Pollution, WHO,

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie How colonization, industrial expansion, and forgotten indigenous knowledge have shaped a century of ecological decline. It is often said that the wars of the past were fought for land, resources, and power. Yet one war, silent, relentless, and far older than we acknowledge, continues to this day. It is the war against nature itself, a struggle that began over a century ago with colonization and has since been reinforced by rampant capitalism, indust

// Sultan Kiani Subh-e-Nau provided cleaning and greening services across various locations in Islamabad in its pledge to community growth and betterment.

// Fiona Harvey Former European officers say spending on low-carbon power would make nations more resilient to threats from potential aggressors. US military personnel at an energy resilience project in California. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images Investment in renewable energy should be counted under defense expenditure, says a group of retired senior military personnel, because the climate crisis represents a threat to national security. They have called for in

// Mahvish Chishtie Sabudana, also known as sago or tapioca pearls, is a starchy, white, round food item made from the root of the cassava plant (Manihot esculenta). Commonly used during fasting days across South Asia, sabudana is a staple in many kitchens. It is popular for its versatility — it can be used in puddings ( kheer ), khichdi , vada , and even fritters. But sabudana is more than just a light snack or fasting food. Let us explore its nutritional value and how it fi

// Sultan Kiani Waste generation is a major global issue threatening the environment and public health. While we can reduce the overall volume of waste by following the principles of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, it is impossible to eliminate waste generation entirely. That is why the safe disposal of waste becomes crucial to minimize its harmful impacts. Although large industries and commercial enterprises generate the greatest volume of waste, individual households and small

// Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie As Lahore continues to rank among the most polluted cities in the world, a new spectacle has captured public and media attention: the deployment of so-called "anti-smog guns." Mounted on trucks and resembling high-pressure water cannons, these machines spray a fine mist of water into the air in the hope of "washing away" harmful particulate matter. While the effort may seem commendable at first glance, environmental scientists and urban planning exp

// Zahrah Nasir A vegetable garden, quite irrespective of size as beans can be grown in pots/containers as well as directly in the ground, should contain, along with every conceivable variety of other organic goodies, as many beans, in as many varieties, as is possible and then some more! In our climate, even in the winter frozen uplands and mountainous regions of the north, it is a simple matter, with rotational planting, to produce succulent crops of highly nutritious beans

Bricks, Industry, Agriculture, Coal plants, Vehicle Emissions, Air Pollution, WHO,

// Graham Readfearn The Australian government has revealed it wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by between 62% and 70% by 2035, based...

// Mehreen Khan As the cold settles into the northern half of the country, most of us begin retreating indoors. But winter — or even just...

// SN Report Subh-e-Nau has a long history of plantation projects, with remarkable tree survival rates. In mid-September, we organized...