Full transcript
0:00Every year, approximately 10 million
0:03hectares of forest are lost,
0:06accelerating climate change,
0:08biodiversity loss, and soil degradation.
0:13The Heartfulness Institute, known for
0:16providing free meditation and well-being
0:18training in over 160 countries
0:21worldwide, has extended its mission to
0:24address these issues through the Forests
0:27by Heartfulness initiative.
0:29>> So, Forests by Heartfulness, or what we
0:31call Heartfulness Green, and we have
0:33about 30 different [music] ecology and
0:34environment and agriculture initiatives
0:36under that. We're looking at how we can
0:38transform this planet to be a more blue
0:41planet, you know, with better water
0:42resources, a more green planet, okay,
0:45with afforestation and green [music]
0:46spaces and green zones, and also
0:48agriculture. We're talking about soil
0:50fertility. We're talking about organic
0:51farming. We're talking about
0:52sustainability as a whole.
0:54>> [music]
0:56>> Forests by Heartfulness is a mega
0:58greening initiative. How it is different
1:00is that it focuses on bringing in soil
1:02enrichment, [music]
1:04water conservation measures, as well as
1:06very innovative [music]
1:08greening techniques along with the
1:10traditional knowledge.
1:15>> [music]
1:16>> Uh currently executed 40 projects.
1:18We want to plant about 30 million trees
1:21>> [music]
1:21>> by 2030.
1:25>> Forests by Heartfulness brings together
1:27environmentalists,
1:29scientists, forestry experts, indigenous
1:32communities, and thousands of
1:34volunteers.
1:37>> Most of [music] our projects are um
1:39guided by both traditional knowledge as
1:42well as uh modern knowledge.
1:45And this knowledge need [music] not just
1:46be from India. Organizations like UNCCD,
1:49organizations like IUCN, of which we are
1:51members. Yeah, we are now invited
1:53[music] to take part in uh
1:55IUCN uh
1:56World Congress. So, we are going [music]
1:58there to understand
2:00how
2:01um the Ethiopians are approaching their
2:04reforestation.
2:05How
2:06the great green wall of Sahel [music] is
2:09happening the sub-Saharan countries.
2:12So, in all these we
2:14get to definitely [music]
2:15pick up points and incorporate in our
2:17own projects as well. And we also have
2:19um
2:20uh a few things to tell them.
2:22>> The team recently executed the world's
2:25largest forestation project using rain
2:28gun technology,
2:29>> [music]
2:29>> transforming 400 hectares of land in
2:33Gujarat's Mehsana district.
2:39>> [music]
2:40>> We don't plant and leave, right?
2:43We consider a project year one of the
2:45plantation and at least [music]
2:47you know, take care of the plants for
2:48next two to three years.
2:52>> [music]
2:52>> We involve the local communities. We
2:55employ the people who are who belong to
2:57that region. [music]
2:58So, when they come and start working,
3:00they give us ideas. We take their
3:03inputs.
3:05>> In Shivgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Forests by
3:07Heartfulness has transformed 2,000 acres
3:11of barren land into lush green landscape
3:15by planting endangered and endemic tree
3:18species.
3:23>> [music]
3:23>> Protecting endemic and endangered trees
3:26and millions of trees have been planted.
3:28[music]
3:29When we think of the children for the
3:30future,
3:31what we're going to give [music] them
3:33through these projects is really it's
3:36phenomenal.
3:38>> [music]
3:39>> Forests by Heartfulness uses
3:41state-of-the-art plant tissue culture to
3:44propagate tree and plant species that
3:47are on the brink of extinction.
3:50Recognizing that the success of a
3:52plantation depends on the entire
3:55ecosystem's health, Forests by
3:57Heartfulness has also undertaken the
3:59creation and restoration of water
4:02bodies.
4:06Forests by Heartfulness has also
4:08enthusiastically participated [music]
4:11in the government of India's Ek Ped Ma
4:13Ke Naam program. [music]
4:16In many projects, biochar has played a
4:19crucial role in soil regeneration.
4:22Heartfulness has set up its own biochar
4:25center of excellence to make biochar and
4:28also provide training to others on how
4:31to make and [music] use it.
4:33>> We have been generating
4:35carbon credits, more specifically
4:37[music] artisan biochar carbon credits
4:40over the last couple of years. We're in
4:41the process of setting up our first
4:43industrial biochar plant in 2026 [music]
4:46and we expect to start generating
4:47industrial biochar carbon credits by
4:492027.
4:50>> [music]
4:51>> And I expect by about 2030 we'll be
4:53generating about 50 to 80,000 [music]
4:55industrial biochar carbon credits
4:57annually. We're also starting up some
4:59very interesting agroforestry projects.
5:01For example, [music] we're working on a
5:03on a 2,000 hectare bamboo project up in
5:06the area of Punjab and Haryana where
5:07we'll work with farmers and farmer
5:09producer organizations [music]
5:10and we'll do bamboo plantation there.
5:12But we're also looking at post
5:14processing of bamboo, okay, which makes
5:16it
5:17which [music] provides value addition to
5:18the farmers.
5:20>> Heartfulness also incubates startups
5:23that are doing [music] pioneering work
5:26in spreading environmental awareness.
5:30>> So statistically speaking, less than 2%
5:32of the schools teach students how to
5:34grow their own food or how to care about
5:36soil.
5:37So then we are raising a generation that
5:39learns about photosynthesis without ever
5:40touching soil.
5:42So through OMG, we convert unused spaces
5:44and empty classrooms into a living farm
5:47where students learn how to grow their
5:48own food and consume what they grow
5:50inside the lab.
5:53We've reached 200,000 students,
5:55>> [music]
5:55>> trained 300 teachers, and empowered
5:57about 800 women on how to grow their own
5:59microgreen, and we align with nine UN
6:02Sustainable Development Goals.
6:07We have started OMG in our private
6:10schools like Delhi [music] Public School
6:11in Hyderabad, Salwan International
6:12School. We also started this in Fiji
6:15Island nations where we have trained
6:17around 108 women on you know,
6:19microgreens cultivation [music] and
6:20indoor farming. At the same time, we are
6:22starting up with four schools in
6:23Kiribati with the Ministry of Youth
6:25Affairs in Kiribati, and we have set up
6:28an office in Sydney to cater to most of
6:30the Pacific Island nations.
6:36>> Whenever [music] we approach a new
6:37project, we do a proper need assessment,
6:39understanding the needs of the
6:40community, understanding the needs of
6:42the land itself. [music]
6:44So, not every project is a tree
6:45plantation project. The need of the land
6:47could be grasslands, creation of
6:49grasslands, or shrubs.
6:51>> What started as a greening initiative
6:53>> [music]
6:54>> in the driest district of Telangana has
6:57already executed over 40 projects,
7:01partnered with corporate and government
7:03organizations, [music]
7:04won multiple greening awards,
7:07has planted 3 million [music] plus
7:10trees,
7:11has offset approximately 100,000 tons of
7:15carbon dioxide, [music]
7:17and has curated 80 plus endangered tree
7:20species.
7:22Current projects include
7:24the ecological [music] restoration of
7:26parts of the Aravalli Mountain Range,
7:30as well as [music]
7:31forestation projects in Dubai and
7:34Belize.
7:38Forests by Heartfulness has also started
7:40partnering with the coal ministry of
7:42India for responsible and ecologically
7:45sound [music] mine closures.
7:48Together, they have created a community
7:51development framework that will help
7:53people living in the mine affected
7:55regions [music] of India.
8:02Heartfulness has also embarked [music]
8:04on a pioneering plantation project with
8:07the Gujarat Mineral Development
8:09Corporation
8:10>> [music]
8:10>> at their bauxite mine sites in Kutch
8:13district, which have acute [music] water
8:15shortage and highly compacted soils.
8:21>> As of today, we have
8:24done greening of about 10,000
8:27acres.
8:28>> We invite [music] individuals and
8:30organizations who are passionate about
8:32the environment to join us. We can make
8:35this world a greener place one forest at
8:38a time.
8:40>> Daaji says, "Do whatever it it takes to
8:44ensure that not a leaf gets dried."