Sana Khalid 
The East-West Centre Alumni Association (EWCA) Islamabad Chapter, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) and Rotary Club Islamabad Metropolitan jointly organised an EWCA Islamabad tree plantation drive at the university’s Faculty of Environmental Sciences. The event brought together more than 150 students and university staff, and academic and community organisations, around the themes of environmental sustainability and practical climate action.
Community organisations working with academic institutions can broaden the reach of their environmental initiatives and offer students chances to contribute to projects with tangible local benefits.
More Than 150 Students Enrol In Climate Initiative
More than 150 students, along with university staff, EWCA members and representatives of the Rotary Club, took part in the plantation drive. Student involvement also fosters a long-term culture of environmental responsibility. Universities can serve as important platforms to raise awareness of sustainability, conservation and climate resilience, and to promote young people’s participation in community-based initiatives.
EWCA Islamabad And Rotary Club Donate 100 Plants
The plantation program added 100 plants through contributions from the two participating organisations. Rotary Club Islamabad Metropolitan contributed 50 shade trees, and EWCA Islamabad Chapter provided the other 50 plants, thus making a joint contribution to the green environment of the university.
The contribution model demonstrates how relatively simple environmental projects can benefit from cooperation of different organisations. Alumni groups can provide community ties and organisational resources. Civic organisations can contribute resources and volunteers to projects with environmental goals.
More trees might help Islamabad’s broader efforts to improve green spaces and the urban environment. The plantation drive is thus a micro activity in the bigger need for sustainable environmental management for the cities of Pakistan.
EWCA Leaders Share Community Environmental Efforts
The activity was led by Tayyaba Gul, President, EWCA Islamabad Chapter, Professor and Acting Chairman, Department of Environmental Sciences, IIUI, Dr Asad Ghufran and EWCA Secretary General Faiz Paracha. The event was also attended by the Rotary Club Islamabad Metropolitan President Mian Shaukat Masood, who planted a tree.
Tayyaba Gul stressed the need for joint efforts for environmental protection and community engagement. The activity also demonstrated the larger role of the EWCA in enhancing linkages between the East-West Centre alumni and local communities in Pakistan.
Faiz Paracha thanked the IIUI officials and staff, including university leadership, administration, and horticulture staff, for their support. University representatives were included to help relate the plantation program to institutional support and the actual management of the campus environment.
Ex Climate Change Secretary Calls For United Action
Syed Abu Ahmed Akif, former federal secretary for climate change and former president of the EWCA Islamabad Chapter, also attended the initiative and underscored that tree plantation and collective action are key to tackling climate change and environmental degradation.
Emphasis on collective action reflects the scale of environmental issues facing Pakistan. When students get involved actively, environmental education can move beyond lectures and research to actions that make tangible changes in the institutional environment.
Such initiatives can improve the link between academic knowledge and community service for the higher education sector of Pakistan. Universities are a good meeting place for students, researchers, civic groups and alumni working together on pragmatic solutions to environmental problems.
Islamabad’s Green Initiatives Bolster Broader Climate Resilience
The plantation drive is also part of the wider efforts to increase the green cover in Islamabad. The tree plantation activities involving public institutions, businesses, civil society and community groups have continued in the federal capital as urban forestry is part of broader environmental sustainability efforts.
Recent plantation drives in Islamabad involve large-scale plantation campaigns by the Capital Development Authority and partner organisations. Pakistan’s response to climate requires action across government institutions, universities, businesses, civil society and local communities. Planting trees is one simple way to participate, but wider climate resilience is also dependent on water conservation, biodiversity protection, sustainable city planning and responsible resource management.
Educational institutions have a very important role, especially as they can connect environmental awareness with research, skills and youth participation. Such programs that involve students in hands-on activities can help build familiarity with environmental responsibility and reinforce the bonds between universities and their local communities.
The Islamabad plantation drive is a case in point of how environmental awareness can be translated into a concrete local initiative through cooperation, and continued collaboration between alumni associations, universities and civic organisations can support further activities contributing to greener campuses and stronger environmental engagement across Pakistan.
The plantation drive organised by EWCA Islamabad Chapter, IIUI and Rotary Club Islamabad Metropolitan saw the participation of more than 150 students and other participants, adding 100 plants to the university environment, and the initiative was based on institutional cooperation, student participation and community engagement around a common environmental objective.
