D.S. Senanayake College a state educational institute launched the 1st Carbon Neutral Project on August 4 2010 under the patronage of the Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardane, MP Namal Rajapaksa and Provincial Council Minister Udaya Gammanpila. The function was attended by a large number of parents, teachers, well wishers and other guests.

The brainchild of the Carbon Neutral Project is the Principal Dr. Asoka Senani Hewage, whose initiative and drive to give the primary children a Carbon Neutral Environment in the school has become a reality.
Being "Carbon Neutral" means removing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as we put in.

Picture shows the principal Dr. Asoka Senani Hewage explaining the project details to the distinguished members of the parliament and other guests.

How can we remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? One way is to buy "Carbon Offset." This means supporting projects like a wind farm or solar park. It helps make clean energy more affordable.

It reduces future green house gas emissions to make up for our travel and electricity use today. Buying carbon offsets is a method followed by many large multinational companies to compensate for the "greenhouse gas" emissions from their business operations.

D.S. Senanayake College has brought the green culture to the primary section of the school through a mixture of environment friendly improvements to the infrastructure and "Best Practices" to be installed in the students, say the Principal of primary sector Mrs. Nishanthi Amarasuriya. The go green project consists of different phases,

a. A rain walk to connect all main buildings that will also include flower beds.
b. Construction of a "Quadrangle" open air meeting place with shade giving trees and a waterfall to bring tranquility and aesthetic harmony.
c. Four different types of mini garden to improve the façade in front of the classrooms and provide an interaction point with others.
d. An adventure park/play area to help with skills development.
e. A new mini basketball court.
f. Upgrading the wash room and toilets to the standard of British schools.

This project funded by the Old Boys' Association (OBA) and School Development Society (SDS) has cost over Rs. 20 million. It has created a Natural Environment for the primary sector for the children numbering over 1500. The objective and aim is to give the children a school closer to nature and free of pollution.

This will develop the habit among children to preserve the Natural Environment according to their learning at school, says Dr. Asoka Senani Hewage. Teachings restricted to books is not sufficient, seeing and experiencing for oneself is truly necessary. Children need to gain these experiences from the school environment, so that they will endeavour to maintain the same in their home garden. This would help develop a society that values nature and is mindful of the damage unattended environs would cause, he further stated.

This concept will no doubt be a model for many other schools to follow. The project will strive to inculcate the necessary values in the children, from the inception of their school career to preserve the environment. The play area/adventure park has been designed to encourage children to indulge in physical activities. The mini-basketball court will help children develop hand-eye coordination and body movement. The need to make children more active is important to the changing needs of society, rather than only concentrating on book instruction. "One aim of this project is to make children more active in school. An active child is an asset to society" commented Dr. Hewage.

There is also a vegetable and fruit garden adjacent to the primary, which will compliment the new surroundings, as children see a school gradually transformed to a greener, verdant environment. Under this project children will be taught to maintain a home garden, grow trees and keep the environment clean.

This is a new concept in education, where every child in the primary will be taught to keep a greener environment around the house which will certainly prevent the outbreak of many infectious disease says the Principal, primary sector Mrs. Nishanthi Amarasuriya. D.S. Senanayake College, will no doubt introduce many more value additions for the betterment of its children with the assistance of the OBA says secretary (SDS) Mr. Anil Karunaratne.