Contact:
Serene Lake Cottages
Berathuduwa
Dodanduwa
Sri Lanka

Barr-Kumar, Sereno
00-1-917-592- 5538 (USA)

Serene Lake cottage endeavours to disseminate and provide by example enviromental and eco sensitive information and techniques. Below are links to some of the techniques used at Serene Lake.

Construction using Earth

Sri Lanka should be actively looking into using an construction alternative to cement blocks. Cement block manufacture requires large quantities of sand. The sand is now mainly dug up from riverbeds and has caused severe environmental effects. One of the main causes has been the deepening of rivers to be below sea level, resulting in saltwater intrusion many miles inland. The Gin Ganga in Galle area is now over 40 feet deep and saltwater intrusion occurs as far inland as Baddegama.

Using earth as a construction material has now been developed over the world to the point where it is much better than brick. Of the many advantages of using earth is its superb insulation capacity and minimal environmental impact. Earth as building material is quite within the average Sri Lankans grasp, in both technology and cost.

Metal Foil Heat Reflectors

Upper middle class Sri Lankans have enthusiastically embraced the use of metal foil insulation on ceilings to cut down on the radiant heat and temperature inside the house. However, at Rs. 50 - Rs. 90 per square meter this commercially available insulating metal foil is not very affordable for the average rural Sri Lankan.

Serene Lake proposes using powdered milk bags which have a metal foil on the inside to be used as a cheap altrenative to commercial metal foil. This usage also has the added advantage of reducing an almost undegradable component of the waste stream.