Classic Travel powers schoolchildren to become Environment Pioneers

Friday, 3 April 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Left: Students planting trees. Right: Classic Travel CEO Suresh Mendis (centre) with the Classic Travel team and school officials Executing the company’s wish to promote environmental conservation practices, Classic Travel stepped forward to fund a fully-fledged ‘green project’ in Sri Sudarshanarama Junior School, Batapotha. Implemented in collaboration with the Central Environmental Authority, the project covers a wide array of activities to protect the environment within the school and to guide the students to become ‘Environmental Pioneers’. Established on 28 October 1952, Sri Sudarshanaramaya Junior School currently educates 300 gifted students who displayed their talents at all island music competitions and continue to perform well in their studies. The school holds classes from Grade 1 up to GCE Ordinary Level. Commenting on the initiative, Classic Travel CEO Suresh Mendis said: “It is important to instill a sense of responsibility about protecting the environment in children from a young age. We live in an era of excessive and careless consumption which result in harming the very environment that we depend on. All global citizens have an obligation to care for the environment, in particular business entities such as us. As such we are pleased to be part of this endeavour to help children discover the value of protecting the environment.” The Environmental Pioneer Program (EPP) was implemented by the Environmental Education and Awareness Division of the Central Environmental Authority from 1984. Environmental Pioneers of the EPP give vital concerns in the thematic areas of health, water, energy, agriculture, waste management, and biodiversity conservation. In this concern, they developed different strategies to conserve the environment in their surroundings. In support of the realisation of the strategy, Environmental Pioneers participate in a wide array of programs to upgrade the natural environment in Sri Lanka under green concept. The project activities will start with forming ‘Environmental Pioneer’ groups amongst school children, conducting awareness campaigns and initiating a tree planting program including indigenous species. The next steps will be to establish botanical and herbal gardens as well as landscaping. The project will then move on to harnessing waste management strategies to reduce waste, recycle and increase awareness amongst students about the subject. Following installation of mini solar photovoltaic (light energy) power the children will get a chance to experience a range of supportive activities such as making compost, bee keeping and creative home gardening. Towards the conclusion of the initial project the Environmental Pioneer project will go through an evaluation process to assess the success level. Following a medaling ceremony the winners will be treated to a field trip to environmentally sensitive areas. Sri Sudarshanaramaya Junior School Principal H.A. Gamini Jayaratne thanked Classic Travel for their assistance.