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Sri Lanka Advocates Climate Change Mitigation through Meatless Lifestyles

At present, climate change has become one of the major challenges faced by mankind. In view of the adverse impacts of climate change, cuts in global emission levels are considered to be an imperative and immediate need. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has noted that livestock supply chains, the meat production industry in particular, are among the most significant contributors to climate change with emissions estimated at 7.1 gigatonnes CO2-eq per annum, representing 14.5 percent of human-induced GHG emissions. In addition, animal agriculture also results in more dire consequences as seen in the deforestation for grazing purposes, the loss of biodiversity, and pollution of water sources due to animal waste disposal.

Promoting Meatless Monday at Regional Level

SLYCAN Trust and Member of Parliament Venerable Athuraliye Rathana partook at a symposium on “Mindful Eating” organised by Humane Society International in collaboration with IOGT VIỆT NAM and GIÁO HỘI PHẬT GIÁO VIỆT NAM held at the Vietnam Buddhist Institute of Hanoi. A few of the key speakers at this event including Ven. Thero were, Khenpo Wangchuk of Bhutan, founder of Jangsem Monday in Bhutan Karma Dendup and Humane Society International – Farm Animals Asia Pacific Programme Manager Robert Lucius. The symposium was also an opportunity for Kavindu Ediriweera from SLYCAN Trust to present its recently initiated Meatless Monday campaign.

Meatless Monday Sri Lanka in 2017

Meatless Monday Sri Lanka initiated in 2015 and has since grown leaps and bounds with the expansion of its outreach both on a national and international scale. 2017 has been a great year for Meatless Monday Sri Lanka, with the project reaching out to various like-minded organisations in diverse collaborations and partnerships to organise various events and campaigns with the aim of promoting meatless and humane lifestyles in Sri Lanka.

Eco-friendly Consumerism and Sustainable Development

Creating a platform for the gathering of youth-led organizations, entrepreneurs and other individuals from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), International NGOs and local groups, Peace Expo and Colombo Food Fest 2017 was able to enable a diaogue on peacebuilding, reconciliation and human rights initiatives as well as Sustainable Development Goals. The two day event was organized by the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation in collaboration with Road to Rights and UN SDG Action Campaign on the 9th and 10th of December in Colombo. SLYCAN Trust was also present at the event promoting sustainable lifestyles with the Meatless Monday Sri Lanka campaign, calling for the adoption sustainable lifestyles to mitigate climate change effects.

Bland to a Blast: Vegan Culinary Workshop 2017

The Walk-In Vegan Culinary Workshop hosted by Galle Face Hotel, Colombo partnering with SLYCAN Trust and Meatless Monday Sri Lanka started off in style with Chef Tora introducing the audience to a number of easy vegan recipes. While demonstrating to the audience about the vegan recipes, Chef Tora explained the health benefits of the ingredients used. The workshop was conducted in a very interactive manner involving the audience in the preparation of the food.

“Being meatless is important for personal as well as environmental benefits” - Chef Tora, Vegan Week 2017

Chef Tora from Sweden has arrived in Sri Lanka for the Vegan Week 2017 organised by Galle Face Hotel, Colombo together with SLYCAN Trust and Meatless Monday Sri Lanka. Tora spoke today with the SLYCAN Trust team about her experiences as a food and meal scientist, giving us an insight into her meatless and healthy lifestyle.

Addressing Human Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka: Stakeholder Discussion on the Way Forward

Humane Society International together with SLYCAN Trust organised a lecture on “Addressing the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka” followed by a panel discussion on October 14th, 2019. Dr Prithiviraj Fernando, an expert in the conservation field with for over 25 years, narrated the present situation in Sri Lanka.