MAS celebrates student-led sustainability at Eco Go Beyond awards
View(s):MAS Holdings, a leading global apparel tech conglomerate, reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability education and youth empowerment at the MAS Eco Go Beyond Sustainable Schools Programme 2024 Awards Ceremony, held recently at MAS Athena in Thulhiriya.
The event, which celebrated the outstanding achievements of young sustainability leaders, was attended by Dr. Priyanie Amerasinghe, Emeritus Scientist at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Chairperson of the National Steering Committee of the GEF Small Grants Programme, as the Chief Guest. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education and MAS leadership were also in attendance, the company said in a media release.
First place winner
The awards ceremony marked the culmination of a year-long journey that included workshops, training programmes, and student-led sustainability initiatives aimed at fostering environmental and social stewardship within local communities.
The Eco Go Beyond (EGB) Programme which is now in its 18th year, was launched by MAS Holdings in 2006 to instill awareness of sustainable development and encourage student-led climate action. What began as a grassroots initiative has expanded to 149 schools across Sri Lanka, providing over 177,000 students with structured sustainability education. The programme aligns with MAS’ broader sustainability strategy, the MAS Plan for Change, and aims to nurture a generation of young environmental advocates.
Speaking at the event, Director – Group Sustainable Business at MAS Holdings, Nemanthie Kooragamage, highlighted the importance of youth-driven climate action: “Today, we celebrate the teachers, principals, and most importantly, the students that have worked together towards fostering a culture of sustainability. Over the past year alone, we have seen unpredictable weather patterns that are severely impacting communities. As climate change intensifies, urgent action is needed.”
This year’s winners stood out for their innovative approaches to conservation, reforestation, and ecosystem restoration. Grade 9 student D.M. Rashmila Lasangi from Uduwa Kanishta Vidyalaya, was declared first place winner for her pioneering conservation project that identified 72 endangered plant species and planted 190 rare plants within a dedicated school conservation zone and established a QR system to share knowledge on the plants with community.
Meanwhile, Hashin Lakshan, a Grade 10 student from Bellana National School was awarded second place for his conservation and reforestation work, which included restoring degraded land near the Pahiyangala rock cave and mitigating elephant accidents along railway tracks in Galgamuwa, combating riverbank erosion along the Maguru Ganga through tree planting, and utilising tissue culture technology to propagate endangered plant species from the Red List.
Similarly, Asindu Navodya, a Grade 10 student from Sri Gnanodaya Central College, directed his efforts toward marine ecosystem conservation, planting 76,629 trees, including 10,000 mangrove propagules in Kalpitiya.
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