Over 1000 plants distributed at filling stations on World Environment Day

Colombo, June 2012: Expolanka Holdings PLC through its fully owned subsidiary Expolanka Freight recently gave World Environment Day a novel twist on Tuesday 05 June 2012 when it distributed ‘natural air filters’ to more than a thousand Sri Lankans in and around Colombo where pollution is highest.

On this day, vehicles owners who waited in line to refuel their vehicles at five fuel stations strategically located around the city were gifted with different jak, mango, jambu, ambarella, lemon, kohomba, seeni nelli, mahogany and avacado saplings which they were requested to plant in their gardens.

The crux of this initiative was the comparison of a plant (one day a tree) to an air filter. Just as a vehicle’s air filter cleans emissions, so would a tree help purify the environment. In fact it is green, eco-friendly and has a longer shelf life. Carbon emissions have been identified as one of the major causes of global warming which, in turn, leads to natural disasters such as floods and tsunamis.

“The response to this initiative was fabulous and what better place than a filling station such as the ones we targeted in Ambagaha Junction, Battaramulla, Kelaniya, Maharagama and Peliyagoda. According to current statistics an average 250,000 vehicles enter Colombo daily. Sri Lanka currently has some 2.7 million vehicles on the roads, though the number of vehicles registered is higher. In fact the Western Province accounts for 75% of that number. All these vehicles ply Sri Lankan roads and leave behind a huge carbon footprint on a daily basis”, said Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications & CSR for Expolanka Holdings PLC Paddy Weerasekera.

“We as human beings tend to forget the carbon imprint we leave on planet earth. This project is all about telling the general public about the gravity of this issue and how it can be counter reacted. The rationale behind this project was to create awareness on carbon emissions and their negative effects on the environment. Coupled with this we drove the message as to how Sri Lankans can individually and collectively contribute to reduce the negative impact”, Weerasekera added.

The 2012 theme for World Environment Day is – “Green Economy: Does it include you?” The UN Environment Programme defines the Green Economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low in carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.

“As the leader in carbon neutral freight and logistics we were happy to align this project with the UN Environment Programme. We have been greatly encouraged by the feedback we’ve been getting. In fact numerous requests have come in that we make this a monthly feature instead of an annual one”, explained CEO Expolanka Freight Jagath Pathirane.

Expolanka Freight Ltd was recently awarded a CarbonNeutral® Certification by the Carbon Consulting Company thus making it Sri Lanka’s first-ever CarbonNeutral® Freight & Logistics Company, and, one of the first in Asia. Social responsibility takes top billing in its operations as it contributes to reducing global warming and takes a lead in living and doing business by example and concern for environment.