'Go green concept' by Practical Action

Vishmi Wijeratne

Moving hand in hand with the 'go green concept' Practical Action launched 'Janathakshan' (Gurantee) Limited recently, following the path set by practical action in providing solutions for sustainable development.

A woman using bio gas to prepare food

'Janathakshan' hopes to empower the hospitality sector in Sri Lanka by providing solutions for hotels to cut down their cost in energy and upgrade their standards in the international market.

"It has come to our attention that the 'green' concept is moving fast globally and it is in the interest of the hospitality sector in Sri Lanka to upgrade their standards and earn themselves a LEET certificate as it gives them better recognition," Project Manager, Renewable Energy, Damitha Samarakoon told the Daily News Business.

The hospitality sector being the pivot of the present Sri Lankan economy, according to the 'Janathakshan' team to increase financial efficiency, renewable energy can be used as a solution.

Samarakoon said that there are several hotels that spend a significant amount for energy as it is vital for the hotel sector.

"We can guarantee that the hotels will recover the cost they spend on our bio gas solution which we have already introduced to some hotels within two years.

A five star hotel accumulates more than 800 KGs of degradable food waste for a day, thus while providing renewable energy it will also provide a solution for the waste problem," Samarakoon said.

A Bio Gas system used domestically

According to Samarakoon, 103 hotels in Sri Lanka has requested for solutions in these areas and is a sign of growth.

While most methods provided internationally is not cost affective, all materials used for the solutions they provide are locally made and could be constructed by anyone under the correct instructions.

"The Bio gas solution involves having a space of 40ft long and 11ft wide, the construction can be done underground and could be sealed, this space could be used for other purposes as well," he said.

The Bio gas solution is not the only solution that is provided by Janathakshan, they also provide water management systems. While they are approaching the hospitality sector they are open to provide solutions even for the domestic sector for household management as well.