Plant a Hope 8.0 - Phase 3: Green Future Dialogue

Plant a Hope 8.0 - Phase 3: Green Future Dialogue

“Empowering Young Minds for a Plastic-Free Tomorrow”

Plant a Hope 8.0 recently completed its third phase, “Green Future Dialogue”, on April 27th at Homagama President’s College. The primary objective of this phase was to raise awareness among school children, especially the Scouts, about the impact of plastic usage on environmental sustainability and strategies for mitigation.

The session was successfully conducted by Ms ThakshilaDharmapriya, Lecturer from the Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Technology, University of Colombo.During the session, she delivered an engaging presentationcovering several important topics which have a severe impact onthe environment. With that, students learnt why plastic has become so popular and widely used, mainly because of its low cost, durability, and convenience, making it a preferred material for everyday use, and also how this same durability creates a serious long-term threat to the environment. Another key issue highlighted by her was the concept of microplastics - tiny particles smaller than 5mm that result from the breakdown of larger plastics or which are intentionally produced to create several plastic items.

Many students were clearly surprised to learn the extremely slow decomposition rates of plastic items. While organic waste decomposes in a very small time period, plastic bags can take up to 20 years, plastic bottles around 450 years, and some items, like toothbrushes, may take over 500 years for the decomposition process. Even after that, it remains as harmful microplastics that can spread through soil, rivers, and oceans. Also, she showed the serious impacts of plastic pollution on ourecosystems and human health. Microplastics have entered the food chain, affecting marine life through ingestion and eventually reaching humans via seafood, drinking water, and air, causing some severe potential health risks. She also explained how plastic pollution travels from rivers to beaches and oceans, linking it directly with the efforts of Plant a Hope 8.0 Phase 2 at Kirama Oya and Medaketiya Beach.

Moreover, going beyond that, Ms Thakshila shared somepractical mitigation strategies with the students to encourage them to refuse single-use plastic items by using reusable alternatives such as cloth bags and metal bottles, practice proper waste management ways, and support recycling initiatives.

Why This Awareness Matters

We, as Leo Club of University of Colombo, believe that educating theyoung generation is one of the most successful ways to create long-lasting environmental impact. Habits formed at the very young age can influence families and entire communities for generations. Through this initiative, we aim to develop the next generation asenvironmentally responsible citizens.

The program was successful with the full support of the principal of Homagama President’s College and their dedicated school’s Scouts-in-Charge teacher. Their vision and encouragement played a vital role in the programme’ssuccess. Finally, an inspiring highlight was their Scout teacher’s initiative to assign the participating students to different sections of the school and allocate them to take care of those areas as groups. These young champions will take responsibility for maintaining plastic-free zones within their given areas at the school premises and promoting this practice as a way of life.

In conclusion, theencouragement shown by the students, along with their thoughtful questions, left everyone hopeful about the future, and Plant a Hope continues to carry forward this meaningful journey, aswe are planting seeds of hope for a cleaner and more sustainable Sri Lanka.

 

By Leo Chathusha Abeygunawardena