Earth Hour: Switch off your lights, switch on your minds

In India last year, more than five million people and 56 cities switched off their lights for one hour to call for immediate action for climate change that saved approximately 1000 MW of power. (Wow!)

The Indian government reciprocated by announcing its commitment to slow the growth of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 prior to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen.

That one hour that showed that we can all make a difference at an individual level is called Earth Hour. It’s a WWF initiative which sends across an inspiring message of hope and action for climate change by doing something very simple — turning off our lights for one hour. Earth Hour 2010 continues to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.
Celebrities and cricketers including Aamir Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble have supported the cause with Abhishek Bachchan pledging his support as the brand ambassador. Key historic and landmark buildings like Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Humanyun’s Tomb and Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus switched off their lights on Earth Hour 2009. Connaught Place in Delhi and Brigade Road in Bangalore offered a unique visual spectacle with just the essential lights turned on. And of course Jaago Re! is a huge fan of this initiative!

This year more than one billion people are expected to switch off their lights in over 6000 cities around the world for one hour on Saturday at 8:30 pm local time.

Join the cause, if you care to show to the world that India is united in its stand against global warming and is demanding immediate action. Switch off your lights. Switch on your minds.

Take action against politicians who abuse power

These politicians are really a big trouble for citizens. They don’t have any civic sense and they are always with a group of useless and brainless people who think that they are the ultimate. They don’t think about the citizens or how much trouble they are causing to them. I live in Hyderabad, near hi-tech city. There is a small politician who owns a hotel in front of my building. Actually he has constructed his hotel on to the road (beyond his area), without proper parking space or emergency measures like fire accidents. He has constructed generators room on the road. But the municipality or government or police don’t take any action against him. They are not even willing to register complaint against them and whenever any resident asks them to move their vehicles, they manhandle them. 

Joy of Volunteering

Four years ago, a Mumbai girl, Shubhangi Swarup approached an 11-year-old boy selling flowers at a traffic signal in South Mumbai and asked him if he wanted to draw with her. In just a few months, her initiative grew into a community project, called Hamara Footpath, involving dozens of street children and several volunteers – one among them being Priyanka Dalal – founder of a social media marketing company called DigiWhirl.

In spite of her demanding job, Priyanka has been assisting Hamara Footpath in curriculum planning, volunteer orientations, discussing vocational and other needs of the street children. She also manages to take out time for other social initiatives like the Sapling Project, which we featured on our blog recently.

Every week, a group of young people from all walks of life assemble in the streets of South Mumbai. This enthusiastic bunch comes fully prepared with colours, stories, games, music and plays to entertain & educate street children in the open school run by Hamara Footpath.

“Unlike other NGOs, Hamara Footpath has a very open structure so you can be a part of it whenever you have time,” she says. “The work with the kids is also very fascinating. It is very nice to be able to become a part of their lives.”

Like Hamara Footpath there are many unique social efforts you could be part of in your spare time. “There is a movement by people who are saving water by skipping a bath on Sundays!” Priyanka says. “What about the Cotton Bag Movement where you replace plastic bags to cotton ones?”

From her two-year stint with various NGOs, Priyanka has learnt that though the idea of changing the world sounds great, it is way too difficult. “It is only possible to change ONE world at a time,” she says.  “Like the world of one little kid whom you teach on streets or the world of a community where I planted a little sapling.”

No matter how pressed for time we are, if we have the desire to take the initiative to change the world — one at a time — we can always become the change we want to see around us. Thank you Priyanka for taking time out for the people who really need it! Jaago Re!

Please visit www.jaagore.com to learn, participate and contribute to social issues!