Earth Hour and Day 2011
This time tomorrow, Earth Hour would have come and gone. But the threat from the effects of climate change will still very much be a reality.
Earth Hour 2011 has reached an unprecedented record number of participation with 130 countries and territories registered to take part – on all seven continents, all G20 countries, thousands of cities, and iconic landmarks and public figures set to join with hundreds of millions across the world to celebrate action for the planet.
Fiji is special in a way to this campaign because we will open the stage for the rest of the world.
From here on – the event will move westward with the sun to New Zealand, Australia, Manila, Dubai, Dublin, New York, Chicago and finally San Francisco.
For the past three years, Earth Hour has generated a lot of debate from conservationists and the laymen alike about the effectiveness of this ‘lights out’ campaign.
Some people would say that it’s nothing more than a publicity stunt. Why else would one bother turning off their lights for just one hour? What kind of a real difference will that make? What happens after this one hour? Aren’t people going to go back to their usual habits?
However, the importance of earth hour is its symbolic meaning. It is simply the designated time when millions of people from countries around the world join together as one to show their combined support.
- Earth Day.
Since today is a holiday for most firms, many corporates decided to observe it on Friday itself.
When it comes to Earth Hour, Bangalore throws up extremes – While some started early and observed the day on Friday itself, many others don’t know what’s going on.
Wipro, for instance, turned off its ‘comfort cooling air conditioning’ for an hour on Friday across all its facilities in India and abroad since Saturday is a holiday. The company said it saved 19.000 units of electricity in India alone and is encouraging employees to follow Earth Hour in their homes on Saturday.
But that may not happen across all homes. “I’ve heard from my friends on Facebook that even television channels abroad stop transmission for one hour. But that doesn’t happen in India. I may not watch TV for an hour but I cannot switch off my mobile phone or laptop” – said student Rehan Syed.
“I do follow it but many people are not aware of it. A lot of awareness has to be created as it is the duty of every citizen and each of us can make a positive impact. So, turn off the lights and unplug appliances for an hour and make a difference” – said Mamtha Shivkumar, principal, The Oxford College Of Arts.
And that’s what Sanket Shah, an engineering student of BMS College, plans to do. “I knew nothing about it till today. When some of my friends talked about it, we decided to switch off all our electrical appliances for an hour at home. We have also decided to speak to our neighbours and ask them to join in.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsshvTvq9yY&feature=fvst
Earth Day is Friday, April 22.
Westborough residents interested in participating in the cleanup will have two times at which they can help make the town a little more trash-free.
The first session, for early risers, will be held at 6:30 a.m., on April 16. Folks interested in helping at that time will meet in the Friendly’s Restaurant parking lot on Bellows Road and the parking lot of the Westmeadow Plaza Shopping Center on Route 135.
“The people meeting at the Westmeadow Plaza Shopping Center will go to the cloverleaf where Routes 135 and 9 intersect” – Bruce Tretter, co-coordinator for the town litter cleanup for the WCLT, said. “That area always needs a big cleanup.”
The second session of town cleanup will be held at 9 a.m., April 16, with volunteers meeting at Lake Chauncy to get there assignments before heading out to a particular part of town to pick up trash and debris that has accumulated over the past 12 months.
“Families, youth groups, and all other residents interested in helping out are invited to join the fun at 9 a.m., at the Lake Chauncy parking lot” – Tretter said. “Folks planning on helping out might want to bring gloves and wear sturdy shoes and long-sleeved shirts.”