2013 Your year to go green!
View(s):People all around the world held their breath and eagerly waited for the dawn of 2013, dismissing rumors and predictions of an apocalypse, which dominated the minds of most people during the latter half of 2012. Let us hope that these recent events have made people appreciate our Mother Earth a little more and that there would be a more concerted effort by everyone to be proactive in leading eco-friendly lifestyles. As is tradition, most of us make New Year resolutions or goals we can aim to achieve in the year ahead. Why not make some resolutions for our Mother Earth as well? Here are some resolutions that could make a significant difference to the environment : add them to your ‘Green’ Resolutions. 
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – we all know what the three Rs are about, we see it, we read about it, but do we actually follow it? It is encouraging to see that quite a few provincial councils have implemented the recycling scheme within the respective localities. In a growing urban neighbourhood, measures such as this are necessary to ensure that our waste is also managed and put to good use. This year let’s make a genuine effort to reduce the use of plastics and other non-biodegradable items, reuse items such as plastic bags, containers, bottles etc. and when you need to discard them – add them in to a separate bin, so they are ready for recycling. If the containers held food or drink, rinse them out first – we all know what happens to food scraps of food that is left out – rinsing the containers also ensures that unwelcome pests do not find their way to the bins.
Make organic fertiliser – if you have garden space accommodating a compost bin is a neat and tidy way of making compost that will also keep pests under control. Just add in kitchen wastes – such as peels, coconut fibres etc. and garden litter – the decomposition of the waste creates natural fertiliser that is free from any harmful chemicals. The fertiliser could be used to fuel the next resolution on the list.
Grow your own food – well at least some of it. Sri Lanka is blessed with a climate that enables plants to grow all year round. Chillies, tomato, pumpkin, egg plant, herbs, beans and the list continues – these plants are relatively easy to grow in a home garden. Do not forget that these vegetables are fresh, and healthy (as they are free from pesticides, fertilisers). The fact that gardening is an excellent stress reliever is an added bonus. Planting fruits and vegetables alongside ornamental plants gives variety to your garden as well, this would make visitors go green – no not with envy – but with inspiration.
Support organic vegetable producers and the local community – if you do not have a garden or are unable to take care of a garden, then why not support your local community. Be a little conscious of the source of your food : many small scale farmers in suburban areas do not use any fertilisers or pesticides on their plants. If you do not have access to such a community or would like to purchase a wider variety of organic foods try visiting a food market dedicated to providing organic and sustainably grown produce. Your presence at such markets shows your support and commitment towards the cause.
becoming fewer and fewer in number due to gardeners and home-owners replacing them by more beautiful, faster growing foreign species. Let us nurture the re-emergence of our native plant species.
I think this list of resolutions would be fairly simple and easy to follow. They are already on my list of resolutions for 2013. Hopefully 2013 will see more people leading environmentally friendly lifestyles and also being more ‘environmentally aware’
Joanne Kotelawala, (British Council International Climate Champion, British Council Active Citizens Facilitator and Past President of Green Army of Spectrum Institute of Science and Technology)
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