MAS Holdings marks the 20th anniversary of its Eco Go Beyond Sustainable Schools Programme, celebrating two decades of sustainability education that has reached more than 377,000 students across 250 schools while engaging educators, families and communities in building a more sustainable future.
Established in 2006 in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Eco Go Beyond was founded on the belief that education can be a powerful catalyst for lasting environmental and social change. Working with schools in communities connected to MAS, the programme has focused on going beyond awareness by helping students understand sustainability challenges, recognise their role in addressing them and translate knowledge into meaningful action.
Over the past two decades, Eco Go Beyond has continued to evolve in response to global sustainability priorities and the changing needs of students, communities, Sri Lanka and the wider world. Its approach has expanded from school-based learning to student-led initiatives that generate positive community-level impact, while strengthening the knowledge, confidence and sense of agency of the next generation.
Reflecting on the milestone, Suren Fernando, Chief Executive Officer of MAS Holdings, emphasised the importance of investing in future generations to advance sustainability.
“Building a more sustainable future requires us to invest not only in the solutions of today, but in the people who will shape what comes next. Through the Eco Go Beyond Sustainable Schools Programme, MAS remains committed to nurturing a generation of young people in Sri Lanka and beyond who have the knowledge, confidence and sense of responsibility to lead meaningful change,” he said.
Amanthi Perera, Director – Sustainable Business at MAS Holdings, who has been involved in Eco Go Beyond since its inception, highlighted the collective commitment that has sustained the programme over the years.
“Twenty years is a significant milestone, but what stands out most is the collective commitment that has made it possible. Eco Go Beyond has endured because decision-makers, educators, students, parents and communities have continued to believe that sustainability education matters and have rallied around that purpose. The impact is not only in the number of young people we have reached, but in the ideas, choices and actions they have carried forward into their own lives and communities,” she said.
A Solo Performance, Countless Moments of Joy: Bringing Every Brilliant Thing to Colombo
There is something extraordinary about seeing the world through a child’s eyes, where happiness can be found in the simplest moments. A water fight, staying awake past bedtime or enjoying a scoop of ice cream can become life’s greatest pleasures. These seemingly ordinary experiences form the emotional heart of Every Brilliant Thing, the acclaimed play by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe.
The production will run from 5 to 8 November 2026 at Kamatha Studio, BMICH, Colombo. Presented by The Peterite Arts Foundation (PAF) and directed by Theruni Indrapala, this intimate and immersive theatrical experience features Sri Lankan actor Mario de Soyza in a role that marks a significant departure from his previous performances.
For more than two decades, de Soyza has been a familiar presence on Colombo’s theatre scene, earning recognition for his performances in both plays and musicals. His credits include Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, Juan Perón in Evita, Bruce Bechdel in Fun Home, and multiple roles in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. With Every Brilliant Thing, however, he steps into a very different theatrical world, one without an ensemble cast, elaborate scenery or a conventional divide between performer and audience.
For de Soyza, the opportunity to explore the play’s exceptional writing was a major attraction.
“The primary draw for taking on this project was the sheer quality of the writing,” he explains. “As a performer heavily experienced in musical theatre, this play offers a unique opportunity to step away from musicals and tackle something completely different.”
Written by Macmillan, the play centres on a child who, at the age of seven, begins compiling a list of everything worth celebrating in life in an attempt to bring comfort to a mother struggling with chronic depression. As the narrator grows older, the list expands to more than a million entries, becoming a source of comfort and a way of navigating the complexities of adulthood.
MAS Celebrates Two Decades of Sustainability Impact Through Eco Go Beyond Schools Programme
