Raj Bhavan confirms participation in the switch-off today The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature-India has made an appeal to citizens to join the Earth Hour 2019 on Saturday from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm to inspire millions across the country to shift to more sustainable practices and minimise negative impacts on the planet. Iconic buildings The Earth Hour India campaign would take forward the Give Up to Give Back initiative launched in 2018. The iconic monuments and buildings across the country would be switched off to mark the movement on the night of Earth Hour, which had started as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney back in 2007. The Earth Hour 2019 would build the momentum further inspiring citizens and organisations to ‘give up’ single use plastic, paper and water wastage, said a release from the WWF-India Hyderabad. In the city, the Earth Hour celebrations would be led by citizens across the city. Gitanjali Senior School is organising a street theatre and poem recitation session on ‘No Plastics in Our Lives’ at the GVK One Mall. The Raj Bhavan has also confirmed its participation in the Earth Hour switch off, said Farida Tampal, State Director, WWF-India Hyderabad office. Approximately 400 eco club schools under the Andhra Pradesh National Green Corps with more than 20,000 students would participate in the Earth Hour celebrations across AP, she said. Consumption practices The WWF-India Hyderabad was working with groups across both the Telugu States to drive the Give Up campaign and build awareness among people on the need to take stock of their consumption practices and give up habits that were wasteful and detrimental to the planet, she said.<doc-sep>The city is prepping for Earth Hour’s #Connect2Earth this weekend, and green-minded businesses have a corner on this occasion I remember my first Earth Hour; it was during class III and our teachers had organised a night under the stars… on the football field. It was a novelty at the time, an exciting mission to save the world and we were among the generation to become more conscious about the world upon which we were put. Celebrated across the world at the 8.30pm to 9.30pm time slot in a given local time zone, we — as kids — were sure patches of the globe would darken in respect. But now that’s not the case as we see some disparity in the electric ecosystem and the way in which industrial entities ignore the way in which they’re contributing to a dying planet. In Hyderabad, this is changing; first, we saw the straws in many eateries switch to biodegradable. Then we saw more shoppers bring their own canvas bags to their local market or grocer’s. Now we’re seeing people crop up their own hydroponics farms which happens to clean up the air, even if it’s marginal. Amitabh Bachchan’s Earth Hour tweet with #Bee4ThePlanet | Photo Credit: Twitter Buzz-worthy This year’s Earth Hour India also carries the hashtag #Bee4ThePlanet which Amitabh Bachchan has endorsed (which he does every year). which Amitabh Bachchan has endorsed (which he does every year). For the days until March 25, people were asked, “Buzz like a bee for as long as you can, record it and upload it on social media. Use #Bee4ThePlanet and challenge five friends to do the same.” So why buzz? They explain, “Bees, other pollinators and soil are critical for food security. More than 75% of leading global food crops benefit from pollination. In India, only 0.8% of the bee colonies required to pollinate our agriculture land currently exist.” This year’s theme is #Connect2Earth. According to the WWF’s Earth Hour website, “Our connection to Earth and nature is undeniable: our planet’s gain is everyone’s gain. Nature not only provides us with all the things we need to live - from the air we breathe to the water we drink, and from the shelter we need to the economy we rely on - but also makes our lives better. However, its growing loss puts this all under threat. This Earth Hour, join millions around the world to turn off the lights and speak up about why nature matters. #Connect2Earth. WWF has partnered with United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to create connect2earth.org.” At the time of writing this, the Earth Hour India website showed 5491 people having pledged to connect to the Earth. In the city Café Paaka in Tellapur and Autumn Leaf Café in Jubilee Hills will be hosting candlelight dinners on March 30. Bharath Dantuluri of Café Paaka is going greener than the establishment already is. The organic setting of the place thrives on such an occasion. “It helps spread awareness and a contemplative few minutes around the future of our energy consumption and sustainable future,” explains Bharath. A past candlelight dinner at Café Paaka in Tellapur, Hyderabad | Photo Credit: Café Paaka For Deepti Pallapolu of Autumn Leaf Café, this year’s theme is an ingrained behaviour and ethos of the café as it is, explaining, “The vibe of the café itself is healthy. We try not to use plastic straws — we use bamboo straws. We recycle takeaway boxes whenever there is availability and we conserve power. We encourage people to sit outdoors and we feed the street dogs every day and put bird feed and water out.” With the candlelight dinner ahead she comments, “While we won’t be able to turn off the electricity in the kitchen, we will be doing this in the corridor. We’ll see how it’ll be received, especially with the weather being so hot!” Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre will also be partaking in Earth Hour by cutting off lobby music, lights and other excess amenities. Suhasini Pradeep, manager of marketing and communities, adds, “We’ll be monitoring the power levels the day before and on the night to show there’s a difference when we do take these actions.” To keep things going, a march will also take place around the Tank Bund area. A past candlelight dinner at Café Paaka in Tellapur, Hyderabad | Photo Credit: Café Paaka Is Earth Hour still a thing though? Or has it become something that we look as a hashtag-worthy project for the single hour out of the year? “The purpose of doing Earth Hour is because we are not able to do this as a regular practice which we should be doing,” points out Deepti, “We believe in being a part of nature and reminding people how important it is to do so. Although I follow it everyday, we don’t insist on people following it. On this day, we kind of insist customers on being a part of it to provoke a thought.”<doc-sep>Lights at India Gate turned off to observe Earth Hour. (Photo: Twitter/@ANI) The power distribution companies in the national capital saved 258 megawatt (MW) of electricity during sixty minutes of the Earth Hour observed on Saturday (March 30) night. Government and private institutions, as well as people, kept their electric appliances switched off during the Earth Hour observed from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. The two Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES) discoms managed to save 161 MW power during the hour, said a BSES spokesperson. The BSES Rajdhani Power Limited saved 92 MW while the BSES Yamuna Power Limited saved 69 MW electricity during the Earth Hour, he said. The two discoms supply power to major portion of the city. The Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) supplying to North and north-west Delhi areas saved 98 MW electricity during Earth Hour, a company spokesperson said. "Lakhs of consumers and Several RWAs in our area joined us in the campaign and switched off lights during the Hour which resulted in a saving of 98 MW. I thank them for their participation in this global combat climate change Initiative," said Sanjay Banga, CEO of TPDDL. Last year, the TPDDL had saved 70 MW power during the Earth Hour.<doc-sep>
Earth Hour returns today as people, communities, and businesses around the world turn off the non-essential electric lights for one hour, from 8:30pm to 9:30pm, to show their commitment to the planet. Like every year, Earth Hour 2019 falls on the last Saturday of the March. It is not a simultaneous event and the Earth Hour time depends on your local time, and the participants around the world will switch off lights when it is 8:30pm in their local time. Read on to find out everything that you need to know about Earth Hour. What is Earth Hour? Organised each year by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Earth Hour was started in 2007 as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia. It is a symbol of the everyone's commitment to planet Earth and why nature matters. The Earth Hour has grown since its inception and over 180 countries and territories participated in last year's Earth Hour. “We live in an interconnected world. Every action we take impacts life around us, and increasingly those impacts are harmful. Our ever-growing demand for food, water, and energy is changing the climate faster than predicted—and it comes at a cost for wildlife, wild places, and people everywhere,” WWF writes on why Earth Hour matters. By switching off their lights for one hour, the Earth Hour participants show their support for not just the climate, but for rivers, for wildlife, for forests, and for oceans, each of which has been massively impacted by human evolution. Over the years, landmarks and historic sites like Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building, and Buckingham Palace have gone dark to mark the hour. Many of these landmarks are expected to do the same today as well Earth Hour 2019 theme This year's Earth Hour theme is #Connect2Earth. “Earth Hour 2019 with its campaign ‘#Connect2Earth' aims to build mass awareness on why nature is important and create an unstoppable movement for nature similar to when the world came together to tackle climate change,” wrote Sid Das, Director of Digital Engagement, WWF International, in a blog post. Earth Hour in India Like every year, the individuals and communities in India will be celebrating the Earth Hour by going dark at 8:30pm. As per media reports, several organisations, businesses, celebrities, politicians, and power companies are participating in this year's Earth Hour. According to WWF India website, the organisation is also running #Bee4ThePlanet campaign to mark Earth Hour this year. What can I do during the Earth hour? In addition to switching off the electric lights to mark the Earth Hour, there are several fun activities that can be organised to spend the hour. The WWF recommends taking a hike, spotting the landmarks that are participating in the Earth Hour 2019, and hosting a candle-lit dinner party for friends and family. Additionally, the organisation points out that it will be a good time to check out the stars, giving the comparably less light pollution. Let us know in the comments if you are participating in the Earth hour this year.