| I first arrived in Singapore just before Christmas and one of my first impressions was of the sparkling light displays and the urban hustle and bustle. On Christmas Eve, a jam-packed Orchard Road was lined with glowing Christmas decorations and brightly lit shopping malls where people searched for last minute bargains. The atmosphere was intoxicating.
An evening stroll on Saturday, 28 Mar 09, felt strangely different as I wandered through the War Memorial down to Esplanade Park. The iconic, durian-shaped concert hall buildings were dimly lit and people were having picnics huddled around candles along the riverside. As I looked towards Singapore’s CBD district, the skyline also appeared rather dark and gloomy. What was this all about? Singapore was celebrating Earth Hour.
Earth Hour, conceived by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Sydney Morning Herald in 2007, is a global event that asks households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lighting and other electric appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.
The official 2009 celebrations in Singapore were held at the Botanical Gardens and Esplanade Park, where people were able to witness the “switch off” moment of the CBD and Marina Bay Area.
At the Botanical Gardens, Tony Boatman, Singapore-based Director of The Climate Project, who was trained personally by Al Gore, delivered a multimedia presentation based on “An Inconvenient Truth” (Al Gore, 2007). The presentation provided basic information about climate change and its current and future impacts on our planet. He also shared practical solutions that everyone can adopt to reduce our impact on the environment.
Concurrently, a Green Carnival was unfolding at the Esplanade Park. A variety of schools, companies and NGO’s provided environmental information to help people understand the challenges of climate change and how conservation, energy efficiency and new technologies can assist the prevention of this major environmental challenge. Among those performing were a number of local groups including Lila Drums Djembe Project, the Down Syndrome Association and Miss Earth Singapore.
In the evening, families and friends of Singapore congregated at Esplanade Park to picnic by candlelight and enjoy a free outdoor concert hosted by 90.5 FM whilst witnessing the “switching off” moment of some of Singapore’s major tourism icons, government agencies, education institutions, hotels and companies. I was among the crowds of people at Esplanade Park where the atmosphere was truly awe-inspiring. During this moment, people voted for Earth, making a pledge in finding solutions to combat global warming.
Over the past few months I have been volunteering with ECO Singapore. Although environmental awareness among Singaporeans is growing, its promotion remains an enormous challenge. Singapore has come a long way to line its streets with trees and promote a safe clean environment for all to share, however more education and commitment is required to confront challenges such as reducing waste and improving energy efficiencies. I hope that Earth Hour resonates with the people of Singapore everyday so that we can embrace new technologies and change our behaviour on our quest to reduce our impact on our planet. E |
