Report on Earth Hour celebration -Tashi Dendup,EGB core member

 Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the planet, and is organized by WWF. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement. Earth Hour 2016 was held on Saturday 19 March between 8.30PM and 9.30PM in our local time zone. The event is held worldwide towards the end of March annually, encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet (WWF, 2016).

EGB coordinator sharing his views

Marking this special event, the Earth Guardians Bhutan club based at College of Natural Resources came together for the occasion.  The club members prepared the posters containing the slogans concerning the climate change, environmental degradation and anthropogenic disasters. One could weigh the concern and seriousness in the hearts of the members through their immense dedication into the preparatory work for the event.

EGB members in preparation for Earth Hour 2016

To kick-start the event, EGB club coordinator Tashi Dorji shared his views to the members gathered in the hall about the significance of the Earth Hour and his concerns about the climate change and the subsequent environmental degradation. He told the crowd what we can do as an individual in combating the climate change and reminded the club members to be responsible in whatever we do for the betterment of Mother Earth.

 In line with the impacts of climate change, he shared his concerns about the recent fire disasters in Bhutan which might have killed thousands of animals and plant species threatening the already endangered species that are found only in Bhutan.

Due to the anthropogenic disasters and climate change, thousands of people are victimized everyday across the globe and pose a heartbreaking loss on economical properties and infrastructures. The club members stood together in unison repenting the repercussions of our careless deeds for all the climate victims across the world. Grieving the climate victims, the club offered their heartfelt prayers by lighting the butter lamps which in Buddhist concept believes to help lead the swift after life path.

Candle in place of electricity

In the course of one hour lights off from 8:30 to 9:30 PM, we had a contemplative meditation for five minutes visualizing the impacts of climate change and praying for the climate victims all over the world. The hall went serene and calm into the contemplation of the gathered members for more than five minutes. The gravity of the prayers is seen through the earnest eyes into the camera flashes of a single camera man standing at the corner of the hall. 

After contemplative meditation, each of us shared in turn the visualized pictures of climate victims and the views on climate change and its impact.  One could make out how each one of us is concerned about the climate change through the sharing session. The sharing concluded with a common fact that the climate change and its impact knows no national boundary, thus, the need of climate action  by everyone is urgent and must.

Contemplative Meditation

After the contemplative meditation and the sharing, we divided into three groups and discussed what we as Earth Guardians Bhutan club can do in our dormitory, college campus and the communities at the vicinity. 

Some of the possible discussion outcomes are as follows:

1. ·         Waste segregation at source
2. ·         Increasing the number of proper waste disposal units in the college
3. ·         The need to have permanent and durable shopping bags to decrease the use of plastic bags.
4. ·         The advocacy on waste management in the nearby towns
5. ·         The cleaning campaigns in the community and the towns.

The Earth Hour event had served its purpose and gave us the opportunity to come together, think together, discuss and plan our club activities. The members expressed their contentment and happiness about the event. The eventful session gave each of us the lessons about climate change by the time we had group photos.