GaiaAge

Welcome curious visitors! Today I would like to discuss a topic that has grabbed my attention and sparked a personal psychological/attitudinal change in my life. It is evident from research studies conducted globally that we are reaching our planetary boundaries. The question is, is there a way we can minimise consumption and ensure sustainable resource management? I will tell you why having a plant-based diet can be beneficial for the planet and yourself.  Image courtesy: FAO, 2019. I have had this conversation with a number of people and it was clear that there is a huge knowledge gap in society regarding basic farming activities and the effects it has on the planet. It should really be a core subject taught to kids from a young age, even though it rarely happens. So why am I fixated on farming? I have decided to be a vegetarian due to two basic realisations. One and the most relevant to today’s blog is the carbon footprint a meat-based meal contains over a plant-based me

Welcome curious minds to an intriguing blog! Humans and wildlife have coexisted since the dawn of civilisation, historically most encounters between humans and wildlife were life-threatening to each party. A simple term called Human-Wildlife Conflict coined by the IUCN World Parks Congress (Madden 2004) is defined as “when the needs and behaviour of wildlife impact negatively on the goals of humans or when the goals of humans negatively impact the needs of wildlife. These conflicts may result when wildlife damage crops, injure or kill domestic animals, threaten or kill people”. I will try my best to unravel the modern human-wildlife conflict in Sri Lanka.  Firstly, it is important to understand the historical aspect of livelihoods in Sri Lanka and the coexistence that prevailed during these periods and how it was lost to current society. During the many interesting and informative conversations I have had with farming communities in different regions, the older generation of farm

Welcome curious minds to my weekly blog! I know everyone is talking about plastic waste these days, so what do I really have to say that’s so different? Let me start by saying that, even though most people know about the pollution caused by plastics, there is a lack of commitment to change behaviour towards reducing the use of single-use plastics. The facts that plastics are polluting most ecosystems, especially marine is so evident that there is no need for scientific research.  Plastics were initially produced in the 1950s, they were an instant success as they provided cheap solutions to an ever-growing consumeristic economy. In comparison to other available products at the time, plastics were cheap, lightweight, nonreactive and easy to produce. Companies switched to single-use plastics overnight and observed skyrocketing profits which ensured the success of these man-made products for years to come. Furthermore,  after decades of living in a plastic age, humans have adapted the