Harith Wickrema is an eco-trailblazer in the U.S. Virgin Islands and beyond. Before taking the helm of Island Green Living, he was an educator with Temple University in Philadelphia, where he introduced the university’s sustainable event management/eco-tourism curriculum, while running a multimillion dollar global event production company.
Wickrema served on the Governor’s USVI Agricultural Plan Task Force, charged with developing an agricultural plan to increase food sovereignty in the territory, and is now part of the Local Food and Farm Council, responsible for overseeing its implementation. He was recently appointed to serve on the Virgin Islands Conservation District board, responsible for the conservation and development of the territory’s natural resources.
Wickrema has been recognized as a leading advocate for sustainability with multiple awards including the EPA’s Environmental Champion Award, Greenest Event Planner Award and more. He was formerly Chairman of the Governor’s Recycling Task Force as well as Chairman of the VI Waste Management Board. Wickrema has been a strong advocate for environmental laws including bans on plastic bags, plastic straws and toxic sunscreen. After the 2017 hurricanes, Wickrema led the charge to “Ban the Burn” of vegetative debris in the territory and instead allow it to nourish the soil. This has been credited with contributing to the territory’s excellent air quality, among only three places in the world meeting the WHO’s clean air standards.
Wickrema is also the founder of Planet Green Force, a new nonprofit formed in collaboration with UNESCO, envisioned as a worldwide league for youth PreK-12 that educates, ignites passion, builds awareness and mounts meaningful change in eradicating hunger, battling global warming and embracing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Additionally he is chief visionary officer and owner of Eco Serendib Villa and Spa, an intimate St. John eco-retreat designed to demonstrate to guests that it is unnecessary to sacrifice luxury to live in a more sustainable, eco-friendly way.
Wickrema is an internationally recognized and acclaimed speaker and thought leader on sustainability, greening education and food security