Sri Lanka - trying its best to be sustainable

So, I had the pleasure of visiting the absolutely beautiful Sri Lanka a few weeks ago and in the space of two weeks fell in love with the country and its people. The scenery is simply amazing – gentle rolling plains, lush green fields and a diverse range of wildlife.

However, what struck me the most about Sri Lanka is the visible effort the country’s government puts in to keep the land clean and beautiful. After all, Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka has already observed that over half of the country’s coastline is eroding at 0.3 metres a year. Over the course of the fortnight I observed the following examples of sustainable behaviour:

• Solar panels on hotels
• Energy saving lightbulbs
• Efficiency testing for vehicles
• An air pollution monitor in the country’s capital Colombo
• Plenty of hydroelectric generators in the beachside towns and cities

 I must admit that I had negative pre-conceptions of Sri Lanka as far as sustainable behaviour is concerned. Those perceptions weren’t completely blown out of the water, thanks to the numerous three-wheeler taxis (also known as auto-rickshaws or tuk-tuks) unceremoniously belching out clouds of grey smoke from their exhausts.

But, given the challenges South Asian countries face in developing a more sustainable way of life, this was by all means a pretty damn good start.

As an endnote, one of Futerra’s communications tactics for climate change (as featured in New Rules: New Game) is ‘seeing is believing’. My accompanying photo was taken at a turtle hatchery and shows one of its employees standing beside a wall inscribed with the message ‘Let Protect Reptiles’. The grammar may be slightly incorrect, but the sentiment is most definitely there.

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