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Lights out, Chennai!

If you think the hour-long power cuts in our city during load shedding are frustrating, activists against global warming offer us a scary prospect: just one hour of power a day. The cacophony of voices that debate climate change has peaked since R 16;An Inconvenient Truth’, and for those of us who doubt that the problem is real, A. Ramachandran, Director of the Centre for Climate Change, Anna University, points to the evidence in our own backyard. Banyan trees that are equipped with sensors on their aerial roots are hunting in vain for moisture in the soil. At least 20 species of banyan have vanished in the recent past. Studies point to links between global warming and natural calamities and warn that soil warming will result in food scarcity in the very near future.

Exnora International, in its campaign to raise awareness about the issue, urges Chennai’s citizens to pledge their support to the cause through the ‘88888 campaign’. The event involves switching off all lights on August 8, 2008 at 8 p.m. for eight minutes and using the darkness to reflect on what we’re doing to Planet Earth and more importantly, what we can do differently before we cause irreparable damage.

The movement is part of the hugely successful worldwide blackout series and follows Earth Hour (Sydney), Lights Out (London) and Batti Bandh (Mumbai).

Project Coordinators Preetam Alex and Miriam Chacko observe that it’s easy to turn a home into an ‘EnviroParadise’. They recommend logging on to www.homeexnora.org to find out how we can make our living spaces ‘Zero Waste Centers’. Among other initiatives, they are launching a ‘Magic Log Card’ that helps people calculate their carbon footprint through a self-audit that tracks energy consumption and efficiency. They’re also creating the world’s first zero-wastage police station.

The founder, M. B. Nirmal, who has been visiting educational institutions in Chennai to talk about global warming, believes that transport simplicity is crucial to energy conservation. “If you can discuss the matter over the phone or through a video conference, don’t travel. If you must travel, walk. If not, cycle,” he says and advocates car pooling and public transport. “Action begins with me in my home, continues in my travel and culminates in my institution. If we take care of these three aspects, we can solve the problem. I’m sure that by the time we launch the ‘99999 campaign’ next year, we will be more optimistic if we take this seriously”.

The 65-year-old environmentalist admits that until then, it’s hard for him to be enthused about his grandchildren’s future. “What is the legacy we are leaving them? It’s time for us to start a new journey,” he says. Take the first step on Friday night by turning off the lights. For more details, visit www.88888.co.in.

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