The Environmental Sustainability Avenue of ZeroPlastic Colombo Community, University of Colombo, carried out its තුරු 2.0 project on 7 August 2026 at Bomiriya Central College. The initiative centered on distributing tree saplings and encouraging school students to take personal responsibility for nurturing them as a practical step toward environmental awareness.

The project was organized to promote environmental responsibility among school students and to introduce sustainable alternatives to plastic through direct engagement with nature. By connecting students with the act of planting and caring for trees, the initiative sought to foster a sense of long-term environmental stewardship at a young age.

During the project, ZeroPlastic volunteers distributed 100 Neem saplings to school students at Bomiriya Central College. Each student who received a sapling was appointed as a Tree Guardian, taking on individual responsibility for the care and upkeep of their assigned tree. The activity combined the physical distribution of saplings with a structured commitment from each participant to look after their tree over the coming months.

A total of 100 school students were appointed as Tree Guardians through the initiative. Under the program’s framework, the distributed trees will be monitored over a period of one year. School students who successfully maintain their trees throughout the monitoring period are set to receive certificates of appreciation in recognition of their efforts. This structure was designed to move beyond a single-day activity and encourage sustained involvement from the students.

The value of තුරු 2.0 lies in its approach to environmental education through personal accountability. Rather than limiting the project to a one-time planting event, the organizers built in a follow-up mechanism that ties each student’s participation to ongoing care for a living tree. This model aims to make environmental responsibility a tangible, everyday practice for t…