GreeNation: The Firstever Rotaract Rainforest

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Transcending stereotypical notions, the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo ventured to launch Project GreeNation with the intention of growing and maintaining the first ever Rotaract Rainforest in the country. GreeNation was not a mere tree-planting project; rather it looked at growing a rainforest over one acre of land in Rakwana and maintaining it until the ecosystem could survive on its own. GreeNation aims to produce enough pure air for over 1000 people to consume and is a step that is assured to sustain for generations while becoming a home for animal life. It will truly become yet another wonderful element of the Mother Nature.
GreeNation was laid out under several phases. The first phase was to clear the paths and make the land ready for plantation. For the completion of the second phase “Kithul” seeds have already been handed over to the caretakers. These seeds will be dispersed to check the condition of the soil in the land area. The plantation process will begin as soon as favourable climate conditions emerge and under the guidance of the Forest Department as well as the Rainforest Protectors Association, over 400 plants from over 30 species will be planted. Despite the delay, we took the decision of halting the plantation process till ideal conditions dawn, rather than merely rushing on to complete the process. The final phase would be the maintenance aspect, which will be handled by caretakers, paid by the Rotaract Club courtesy of the generous sponsorships provided by our Platinum Sponsor National Savings Bank and the Rotary Club of Colombo East.
We wish to note and give special credit to the Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka, which is a group comprised of several volunteers dedicated to protect the rainforests in the country and for their outstanding contribution, led by Mr. Jayantha Wijesingha, right from the start of the project.

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