In recent years they have designed projects such as 3R which stands for the three-fold environmental concept of reduce, reuse and recycle, and several other environment related projects. Their current focus is on the environment to be in tow with the United Nation’s (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
“We tend to work in trienniums, national, regional and world level. The Girl Guides is a world movement and a lot of what we do is centered around what is set at a world level. In 2007 we started a new triennium, and since at world level they have implemented a global action theme as they have committed themselves to working with the United Nations, supporting their Millennium Development Goals, we are focusing on the current goal- goal 7 of the UN MGD, which is to ‘Ensure Environmental Sustainability’. Our corresponding gat message is that girls across the world say ‘we can save our planet,’ specially now with the drastic climate change.
In the last few months in particular we have been stressing on environmental issues, with ‘world environment day’ last month and ‘ozone day’ coming up in September. We do plan to continue this drive, even once this triennium is over, as we have with other projects such as the tsunami relief community,” say the Director of Communications of the SLGGA, Shaleeka Abeygunasekera.
A 3R Community Programme was launched recently, organised by the Project Executive Hemamali Rajapaksa, which is a scheme that undertakes environmental conservation related activity on religious holidays.
In an effort to reduce the litter of polythene bags at Adam’s Peak (also known as Sripadaya), the girl guides gave the pilgrims cloth bags in exchange for their polythene bags on April 4-5. According to Hemamali the project was an incredible success and workers at Adam’s Peak were so impressed by the dedication of the girls who carried out their duties in the rain, they volunteered to continue the effort.
Smaller one time projects have also being organised, such as the girls guides taking to the streets, explaining the environmental consequences of using polythene bags to people and exchanging their polythene bags for cloth ones for free.
Other projects of this sort include, gardening competitions where the guides are taught how to make compost of dead leaves and separating garbage, as well as the organising of a Kesala Pola.
All the 3R projects by the SLGGA are funded by LIRNEasia, providing them with administrative and logistical support as well as financial support from Caltex Lubricants Lanka Limited. |
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