TrailBlazers

The project “TrailBlazers” was successfully conducted by IEEE Young Professionals Sri Lanka (YP SL) Affinity
Group under the theme of “1000 steps towards sustainability: Water, Energy and Solid Waste”, held on 19th February 2017 in the western coastal areas spread across 5 kilometres from Wellawatta to Mount Lavinia. This project was carried out as a beach cleaning activity, to improve the public awareness on sustainable living by  promoting cleanliness in coastal area that eventually created a platform for a Young Professionals meetup in Sri Lanka. Today the coastal region in Sri Lanka has been increasingly subject to pollution during the last few decades. The underlying drivers for pollution in the coastal region are a population concentrated on the coast and increased
development activities such as tourism and industries. Hence, all together 40 members including IEEE student members those who will join with IEEE YP SL during the next quarter joined hands with IEEE YP SL members in successful completion of the event. Participants were divided into two groups and groups initiated the project simultaneously from two ends of the coastal area and proceeded towards the centre with the intensions of meeting at the completion of the event. Both groups were able to collect several bags of solid wastes including polythene while facing interruptions from rain and arrangements were set to handover collected wastes to Local Urban Councils for their recycling processes.

The leadership of the project TrailBlazers was taken by the next generation of IEEE YP SL members and participants marked the conclusion of the event with a friendly meetup that followed by a refreshment session where they shared their experience with other groups of participants. Organizers would like to convey their heartiest gratitude to Local Urban Councils and ACL Cables PLC for the support given towards the success of the event