We humans are the worst environmental violators on earth and the increasingly erratic weather patterns and man-made natural disasters are just a few of the side effects of our thoughtless actions.
Project Act is an environmental initiative by Beyond Borders which focuses on changing attitudes and raising awareness on the sensitive relationship between man and the environment and how every action has a direct impact on the world we live in.
Project Act will launch its “Go Green Now” campaign by participating in the International Day of Climate Action on October 24 2009. Anyone who wishes to participate in the event and join the green revolution will be required to gather at Wellawatta Beach at 8.30 am.
Key features in the days programme include the formation of a human 350 (the photograph of which will be sent to www.350.org to mark Sri Lanka’s participation in the global 350 movement) and a demonstration spreading the word about ‘Climate Action’ from Wellawatta beach to Bambalapitiya.
Other highlights of the event also include a clean up of the Wellawatta beach, the adoption of a tree and the signing of a pledge towards eco-friendly living. Participants can also look forward to music and refreshments.
The International Day of Climate Change is decidedly the most pervasive day of environmental action in the planet’s history organized by creative climate activist coalition 350.org. With a series of events being marked in over 100 countries, it is geared towards creating a global movement to push for effective action at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Beyond Borders hopes to promote eco-friendly living and raise awareness on climate change as well as show Sri Lanka’s support towards positive climate change policy through this event.
“We’ve done a variety of activities related to peace, governance and citizenship and we felt that there was a need to generate awareness about the environmental issue among the youth of today” said Hanim AbdulCader, a member of the organizing committee of Project Act.
Project Act and its numerous activities will takeoff in October and last until March 2010. The core focus of the project is waste management techniques, which has been identified as the main obstacle to sustainable development in Sri Lanka, in order to promote green, environmentally friendly living.
Beyond Borders is a platform where young people can express themselves and work on development issues they are passionate about. It is entirely youth-led and run by a group of volunteers. Technical support for the event will be provided by the Environment Programme, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (GTE) Ltd. (CHA) and Sri Lankan Youth Climate Action Network, International Climate Champions (ICC) for Sri Lanka part of the British Council and the Roteract and Interact Movement. The project is funded by a Grant from the United States Department of State.
Official print media sponsor for event is The Sunday Times, official electronic sponsor is ETV and official Digital Media Sponsor will be The Colombo Spirit. |
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