BY ARTI DAS

Today, March 27 is a day where you get a chance to join in the largest annual global campaign by observing the earth hour.All you need to do is switching off all lights for one hour in order to create awareness about climate change that is becoming a harsh reality.

This one hour from 8.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. is termed as earth hour and aims to bring people together in darkness to work towards a brighter future.   

Earth hour is a global call initiated by WWF (World Wide Fund) catering to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and to lead the way towards a sustainable future. People across the world, from all walks of life, will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common–our planet.

Here in Goa we have some committed individuals who are following earth hour in their own way. “I am planning a candlelight party for my close friends. I also had a similar event last year. I feel it is very important to come together to create awareness and talk about these issues,” says Dr Luis Dias from Panaji.

Most families are planning to have similar events where one can have some gossip time with your friends rather than spending time in front of the television screen. Also one can have a walk on the beach or simply enjoy the quiet and calm that darkness brings in.

Some like Pankaj Kurtarkar from Mapusa are trying some adventurous activities along with their friends. “I am planning to go to Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary during this time and will go for a night trail to experience nightlife in the wild,” confirms Pankaj who is making this special trip with his friends.   

Also, the Association of Friends of Astronomy are having a complete black out for an hour. They will also observe the response for this one hour to see how the city will look without the cover of lights on public and private buildings.

However, there are some people who are of the opinion that saving electricity for one hour will not make any difference to planet Earth. Some parts of Goa also suffer from regular load-shedding.

“I agree that one hour makes no difference, but Earth Hour at least forces us to talk about these issues and realise that we must do all we can to save electricity. Just because India’s energy consumption is less, we can’t stop commemorating Earth hour,” adds Dr Luis.

So, let’s make this one hour special and take a small step by switching off your lights, TV, computer, washing machine etc. Let’s dedicate this time to introspection.