‘Earth Day Network’ is an international environmental organisation which operates in more than 190 countries. It was set up in 1970 and is based in Washington DC, USA.’ Earth Day Network’ appointed young actress, author, philanthropist and climate activist Michelle Dilhara as their Sri Lankan Ambassador.
The Global Advisory Committee of the ‘Earth Day Network’ includes personalities such as the American actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Anil Kapoor, the sixty eighth Secretary of State John Kerry, Anand Mahindra, and Ed Begley. Kathleen Rogers is the current President of ’Earth Day Network’ in the United States. Nishu Kaul and Karuna Singh are the South and South East Asia Director of’ Earth Day; and the Regional Director’ Asia Earth Day Network’, India.
Michelle is known for her role in the television mini-series, Sudu Andagena Kalu Awidin which became the ‘Most Popular Teledrama’ at the ‘Sumathi Tele Awards 2019’. She was nominated as the ‘Best upcoming actress of the year at the ‘Raigam Tele’es Award Ceremony 2020’ for her role ‘Ayoma’.
Dilhara was also nominated as the ‘Most Popular Actress of the Year’ among the other finalists at the’ Raigam Tele’es Award Ceremony 2020. Kisa, Waramadda, Sihina Kumari, Api Nethi Api and Sakuna Piyapath are some of her recent teledramas. Recently, she was featured with actress Damitha Abeyratne in the music video Nethra which song was sung by Abhisheka Wimalaweera. It is said to be a song dedicated to all mothers.
She has been engaged in philanthropic work since she was 15 years. Michelle received the ‘Asia Inspiration Award 2018’ at the South Asian Youth Summit for her philanthropic work on social invisibility. Based on research done with Emeritus Prof. Antoinette Perera and Dr. Parakrama Warnasuriya, Michelle released her book Social Invisibility is not a Fiction it Exists. The book was published by Amazon and provides implementations on how to minimise social invisibility and social exclusion.
Michelle founded ‘The Invisible to Visible Movement’ to carry out the implementations of the book. She started her first implementation with the English lecturer, Danushka Clark, by providing more than 1,000 free English scholarships for students facing a language barrier. She partnered with Manusha Navarathna and initiated the second implementation which was forming an ‘Elderly Community Centre’ called Senehas Arana for retired elders. The community centre focuses on building the damaged social networks of retired elders with the current society. In recognition of her book and the implementations, Michelle Dilhara received the ‘National Youth Icon Award 2019’ at the ’World Youth Summit’ held in New Delhi, India.
Michelle distributed dry rations to needy families in Negombo, Seeduwa and Divulapitiya together with Ven. Katandola Chandarathana Thera, Manusha Navarathna and Danushka Clark during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Apart from her work related to Social Invisibility, she is also an active environmental activist. She has organised several climate campaigns to minimise the ongoing climate crisis. Some of the projects include de-trashing beaches, planting 1,000 trees in Katana and conducting awareness programs on Climate Change and Social Invisibility I at the Raja Rata University of Sri Lanka and schools.
On the 50th anniversary of’ Earth Day 2020’, Michelle was invited by the ‘Earth Day Network’ to feature in its’ My Future My Voice’ campaign along with 49 other prominent young environmental activists from 17 countries of the South and South-East Asia region. The’ Earth Day Network’ digital event grew wider with messages from global leaders, activists and celebrities such as Pope Francis, Marine Biologist Sylvia Earle, Earth Day’s original organiser Denis Hayes,350.org founder Bill McKibben, Global Advisory Committee Member Prince Albert II of Monaco, founder of Earth Uprising Alexandria Villasenor, former US Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Al Gore, UN’s Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, the UN’s Former Executive Secretary of Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, White House Climate Striker, Jerome Foster II, Secretary of State John Kerry, the UN Foundation’s Senior Fellow Thomas Lovejoy, actors Ed Begley Jr, American actor Leonardo DiCaprio Zac Efron, Anil Kapoor, Kyra Sedgwick, news commentator Van Jones, Grammy Award-winning musician Ricky Keij, Licypriya Kangujam, National Geographic filmmaker Paul Nicklen, world-famous athletes including free climber Alex Honnold and Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.
“I hope to create more awareness in my capacity as an actress” says Michelle. As an Ambassador for ‘Earth Day Network’, she has pledged to work towards a greener, cleaner and less polluted planet. Using the platform that she’s built for herself with her talent, effort and philanthropy, she hopes to use her voice to reach millions and open their eyes to the ongoing environmental and climate crisis on behalf of the ‘Earth Day Network’.