Prior to the 1980’s, there was a long felt need for an organization solely dedicated to safeguarding Sri Lanka’s environment. The idea was stumbled upon by a group of friends – four law students, a budding zoologist, anthropologist, accountant, mathematician, and an actress – who would regularly band together to protest against the misuse and abuse of the country’s natural resources, and spearheaded campaigns to protect the environment through litigation. Thus, in 1981 the Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL) was born and later incorporated under the Companies Act as (Guarantee) Limited.