Jetwing Hotels in association with Jetwing Travels held their Jetwing Earth Day at Hunas Falls, Elkaduwa, Kandy in celebration of the success of the Jetwing Eternal Earth Project (JEEP) over the past year.
A simple ceremony was held at Hunas Falls with the patronage of the current Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Bernard Gunetilleke as the Chief Guest. Environment activist and veteran actress Iranganie Serasinghe, who is also the Patron of the project and Singer Rajiv Sebastian, Brand Ambassador of the project, school children, earth teams of Jetwing hotels and other distinguished invitees witnessed the event extending their commitment to the cause of JEEP; contributing to mitigate Global Warming.
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The day commenced with a tree planting ceremony where all present had the opportunity to plant a tree at the 100 acre Analogue Forestation site located at Hunas Falls. Following this function, the main ceremony was held at the hotel with a presentation on the project and the finals of the Inter foster school quiz competition on environment. Deputy Chairman Jetwing Hotels Hiran Cooray welcomed invitees with a special note of thanks on the enthusiasm of all involved with the project including hotel guests and school children, for their rapid success. There after Rajiv Sebastian launched the first ever ‘Earth Song’ written in Sinhala, Tamil and English supported by school children linked to the project.
Addresses were made by Iranganie Serasinghe , Renton de Alwis former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and by the Chief guest. The program ended with an awards presentation to the winners of all competitions under the project.
Message from Nobel Peace Prize winner and Vice Chairman of Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Professor Mohan Munasinghe was read to the audience.
The JEEP was implemented by Jetwing as a responsible corporate citizen to contribute towards minimizing Global warming and its effects for the benefit of mankind. As a responsible tourism partner the project has also been associated to Sri Lanka Tourism’s ‘Earth Lung’ initiative aimed at making Sri Lanka a Great Green Destination.
Under this project a model re-forestation was implemented at Hunas Falls, which can be replicated in many other climatic zones as well as in small scale plots of land. Of the hundred acres of barren land, adjacent to the hotel which was allocated for this project, the team was pleased to announce by now approximately 8 acres are planted with around 1200 trees being grown under the method of Analog forestry and forest garden concepts. From this 1000 trees came as investment to the project by hotel guests as an effort to neutralize effects of carbon emission due to their travel, which is the main funding scheme of the project.
The key objective of the project is to use this model and its process as a method of educating the younger generations through the schools, in order to enable them to secure a safe earth, both for themselves and the generations to follow. Each hotel and other operational units within the Jetwing family have taken on two foster schools over the year, with new schools being added each year. The objective was to educate children on Global Warming, Bio-diversity, Home/School Gardening and Good Earth Saving Practices’.
JEEP has received tremendous support from the School heads, Teachers and students from the vicinity who visit the forest project and carry out numerous tasks, voluntarily for the project.
Anyone who wishes trees to be planted on their behalf could also visit the ‘Web Forest’ on Jeep website www.eternalearth.net and make investments towards this worthy cause.
This project has been perceived as an excellent opportunity to promote Sri Lanka as an exemplary Green Destination to the rest of the world.
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