Fifty-seven waste management projects are already underway and twenty more such plans have already been approved. In 24 schools ‘Pilisaru’ fairs and ‘SANASA Pilisaru Bank Accounts’ were initiated and 4,458 garbage cans were distributed. Further, ten compost projects will be implemented and four sanitary landfill sites will be built.

This programme was initiated with the objective of maintaining a pleasant urban environment in urban and semi – urban areas. Provincial Councils were instructed and aided in the best ways to maintain a soothing and eco friendly environment in urban areas. The initiatives include solid waste management, creating urban green gardens, tree planting, canal restoration, conducting ‘Pilisaru’ fairs, creating 12 green gardens, declaring eight sanctuaries, using community service projects to improve canal systems and the conditions of coastal areas and distributing ‘Pilisaru’ waste disposal cans to State institutions, schools, media institutions and temples in Colombo district.

This programme was launched with the objective of giving a maximum local value addition to the minerals, which are currently being exported. Encouraging industrials to export minerals with added value instead of raw material in order to create a more profitable industry was its prime aim. Another was implementing an active plan for 2007 – 2011 to maintain a stable price for sand while the price of other commodities increased, by introducing options such as sea sand.

It is the objective of this Programme to encourage the co – operation of Buddhist Bhikkus and devotees for the protection of forests with cultural and historical value and to minimize the illegal actions that take place within forests and to take the message of the importance of forest conservation through Bhikkus and pilgrims. It also established ‘Wana Senasun’ in 13 districts.

To minimize the damage to the environment while simultaneously improving the socio – economic condition of rural areas measures were taken to establish environmental friendly standards of existing development projects. More projects were implemented with the participation of the general public. These projects include, developing two catchment areas, implementing 400 solar power plants in 17 areas, initiating 65 bio-gas units, implementing eco friendly agriculture in 26 villages and establishing village forest gardens and herbal gardens with the involvement of the public.

This programme was aimed at creating an environment friendly future generation. Awareness programmes were carried out to educate school children, teachers and the general public. More than 16,500 school children were recruited for a Green Brigade to create awareness.

This programme was initiated with the objectives of reducing the foreign exchange cost on fossil fuels and the environment damage caused by fossil fuels. The initiatives carried out under the programme are, introducing renewable energy sources, encouraging the private sector and regional public to use ‘Weta Endaru’ (Jatropha cureas) to generate bio fuels, establishing a gene pool of plant species that can be used to obtain bio fuel in Kandy, encouraging the private sector and regional public to cultivate ‘Weta Endaru’, conducting research in to the cultivation of such plants and implementing the findings to obtain better results.

Under this programme several initiatives were taken to improve the efficiency of the State Timber Corporation. Re – launching the Boossa production complex, replacing imported transmission poles and sleepers with local products thus saving foreign exchange cost, encouraging competition in the furniture industry and other timber industries, obtaining maximum use from the under-utilized timber, expanding the timber selling network, improving the involvement of the State Timber Corporation in the process and increasing its profitability.

Re – establishing destroyed eco–systems and converting them in to forests of indigenous trees. Selecting land to re–establish natural Sri Lankan forests, re–placing existing exotic plants such as pinus, accacea with indigenous plants were also among the goals. 67 hectares of Pinus from Kalutara district has been replaced with ‘hora’ trees under the programme. Conducting research in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla to replace pinus trees with a suitable indigenous variety was also part of the programme

This programme was implemented to transform the human elephant conflict to a human elephant co–existence. An electric fence of 660 Km was constructed and measures were taken to establish ‘Ritigala’ and ‘Yaanoya’ sanctuaries, to reconstruct ponds, to recruit more employees to the Department of Forest Conservation and to create a workforce to minimize the human elephant conflict. Measures were also taken to establish work forces in 58 divisions through operation committees in 15 districts with the end goal of reducing the toll of human and elephant deaths.

Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources addressing the United Nations Conference introduced the Sustainable Human Development Index and carbon debt formula to the international community.

The National Ozone Unit received the international award for effectively implementing the Montreal Protocol in 2007.

The Award of the United States Environment Protection Authority for efforts taken to protect the environment and ozone layer was presented to Dr W L Sumathipala, Director, National Ozone Unit in the year 2008.

Winning second place at the Asia-Pacific Quiz Programme for school students held in Bangkok, Thailand, in August 2007.

Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Sri Lanka was appointed the President of the Parties to the Vienna Convention during the eighth Conference of Vienna Convention held in Doha, Quatar on November 19, 2008.