13th Annual Green Lane Diary Competition in Sri Lanka Reached Over 8000 Students in 2017

 

The Green Lane Diary project is a school-based educational initiative that raises children’s awareness of the importance of caring for our planet and of the difference they can make by living sustainably. The prevailing environmental challenges in Sri Lanka and other countries, as well as the effects of global warming, are explained to the students. In response, they are taught to engage in activities such as tree planting, recycling or sustainable mobility. The children participate in this initiative by keeping a daily diary of their sustainable activities over a school term, which they are coached how to do. At the end of the term, the most outstanding diaries are recognised.

Within Sri Lanka, more than 8000 Grade-5 students (10 years old) from selected schools in the Western Province participate annually in the Diary initiative. For this latest edition, four winning students earned the opportunity to travel to Japan and attend Green Cross Japan’s own Diary contest award ceremony in Tokyo, as in previous years. During the trip, they visited a local elementary school to share their experiences with Japanese students.

A part of Green Cross International’s Value Change programme, this initiative plays a key role in Green Cross’ mission of developing a sustainable global community. Presently, the Green Lane Diary teaches nearly 2 million children about sustainable development. Originally launched in Japan in 1999, the initiative was adopted in other Green Cross National Organisations such as Sri Lanka, who joined the project in 2005. As the initiative grows and develops, it increases engagement and creates a sense of ownership for the wellbeing of our planet, and to the benefit of future generations.