Share | “Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasure to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence.” -Alfred Billings Street It was the year 2019, before the Coronaceous period and Covid-19 pandemics when people all over the world spoke freely to each other without wearing surgical masks, went to work easily, walked along streets happily, went shops without fear of illness, and lived together and hugged each other in sorrow and happiness. Before this sorrowing period, no one ever thought about physical and social distancing! The calendar showed mid November, and there was a fruitful meeting in a room at Beaty Biodiversity Research Centre (Vancouver, BC, Canada) with a talented PhD candidate Azin Sharifiyan. We were amazed at how a significant portion of the people did not believe science and thought that the earth was flat! We were surprised at how some people and governments not only did not believe in many environmental issues, but also moved to exacerbate these problems and further destroy our beautiful planet. The key answer was appearing: dissemination of science publicly, including grown-ups in general, parents as key factors, and especially youths and kids as the future heirs of the earth and our only hope to save the earth. So, a significant decision was tactfully made: establishment of a non-profit organization and performing all-out efforts to save our planet. The concept of our institute matured after constant discussion with fellow researchers and experts. BoomZista team wish to thank Prof. Curtis Suttle (Canada), Prof. Charles Niblett (USA), Prof. Louis Bernatchez (Canada), and Dr. Amy Chan (Canada) for their effective and fruitful discussion/help.

Many names were suggested for the institute, ranging from beautiful words came from Latin or English languages to names from eastern languages; the name should have reflected “nature” and “earth. Finally, a compound name was generated in November 23rd, i.e., BoomZista. This name is made from two Persian words: “Boom” meaning “Earth, and “Zista” meaning “Living” or “Viable”; therefore, “BoomZista” means “The Living Earth”. The idea for our name came from the theory proposed by James Lovelock, who proposed that all the organisms on Earth interact with each other like the body of one large organism, dubbed “Gaia”.

In the end, the historic day came. In the 11th of May 2020, the BoomZista Institute was officially registered in Canada (Corporation number: 1205386-1), and our adventurous journey started!  

The logo was carefully selected and designed with the help of some nature lovers and talented students. Each colour in our logo representing an essential part of our planet: blue for the sky we are all under and the oceans fulfilled with different forms of life, green for the plants that are integral for the Earth’s survival, and red for life and fertility. Ocean waves and wind are also shown with blue curved lines. Finally, the red oak leaf represents the beautiful country of Canada where BoomZista Institute was established, and the main branch of the institute is located.
A sea turtle painted by Hannaneh Saeili (a young artist of Nature, Culture & Art Department)

The sea turtle, the symbol of BoomZista Institute, is one of our planet’s most ancient species. Sea turtles have been around for longer than humans, and thus have witnessed all the changes brought about through our development; they have also seen the devastation caused by our actions. They have experienced green revolution and industrialization, and the subsequent pollution of our planet resources; remember DDT contamination of the earth! Additionally, they are witnessing the consequences of simplification of nature by humans, leading to many environmental issues, and observing how we are continuing the destruction of forests, oceans, and biodiversity on the earth. Now, they are impatiently waiting for us to make any action against the climate change issue, but we are ashamed of doing almost nothing to solve it!

Even though sea turtles have existed long before humans, they are already nearly extinct due to our interference. Pollution and fishing have devastated the population of sea turtles, which is why we have chosen them as our mascot. As a grandfather that bore witness to all our discoveries and pitfalls since ancient times, they deserve to be conserved.

Settlement and development of humans on the earth have led to many disasters; some of them are impossible or difficult to be solved. Human activities have been affecting almost all the planet resources, from air and atmosphere to soil, from fresh waters and oceans to forests, and from microscopic to macroscopic biodiversity. As a matter of fact, humans have damaged/stolen everything on the planet in the path of development. It seems that humans have been attacking aliens on the earth, and have not been considering the planet as their permanent home for a long time! BoomZista team believes that if one can change the opinion of people and governments to the idea of considering the Earth as their Home, anything can be done to improve the disastrous conditions. For this reason, we selected the slogan of “This Planet is Our Planet” for the institute with great hope to save “Our Living Earth”.

Our team is composed of students, scientists, researchers, and nature lovers! We are at the starting point of our efforts to save the earth and need your help. Please contact us here (info@boomzista.org) if you want to play a role in this worthwhile endeavor.