On March 9th, students from our grade in our ESS, Biology, and Geography classes, as well as other interested students from other grades took a trip to the International Water Management Institute for an informative presentation by senior advisor Pay Drechsel on sustainability, the use of natural fertilizers, and their growing popularity in Sri Lanka (Fun Fact: My mom worked at this institute and with Pay for over a decade). The talk included topics such as the filtration of wastewater and the production of liquid fertilizer as part of a circular economy. We were even able to observe different samples of natural fertilizers, such as pellet fertilizers made from fecal sludge and liquid fertilizers. In addition, the presentation also covered topics on bioeconomics (which I found interesting as I’m aiming to major in an Economics related degree for my undergraduate) such as the challenges that businesses face when trying to increase the demand for these natural fertilizers. 

Overall it was a great experience, I learned a lot, and I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity. Pay also made the presentation quite entertaining and involving for us which actually made the inquiry into the topics quite fun for everyone.