60 minutes of precious darkness

As the 'Earth Hour' enters its sixth year, many environment enthusiasts will save power by switching off lights for an hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm on Saturday, March 31. What started as an initiative to create awareness about issues relating to climate change, the citizens of Sydney switched off their lights for one hour. This enterprise turned into a global phenomenon with over 135 countries participating in it.

Ahmedabad will be observing the event with people from all strata of life, though most institutes and organizations are targeting the youngsters, especially students who will be the largest audience. Aley Zaveri, the founder of Astronomical and Science Club, Ahmedabad has organised a workshop especially for school students.

"We will have a three/hour workshop on the importance of Earth, since the International Earth Day is also coming up (April 24). We will be organizing all sorts of events like drawing and coloring etc, followed by observing the Earth Hour."