“We should understand that when farmers commit suicide in some other part of the country, we are also responsible for their miseries,” said singer Anuradha Shriram, the chief guest for the launch of the Earth Hour 2011 signature campaign. She said that our lifestyle in the cities is based more on luxury goods. The ill-effects of our callous consumption are borne by those whose lives are dependent on agricultural activities. “We should stop being greedy,” said Anuradha who also sang a song by Dayananda Sarawasti.
Another chief guest, Mr. Gopinath, C.E.O. Taalkshop Academy and anchor, said that he was happy to see young people participating in such programmes. He said that we have to understand the politics behind sharing natural resources.
Rachel Pearlin, State Director, of WWF-India (Tamil Nadu), delivered the welcome address. Students of Stella Maris College presented ‘ Pariyavarnam' , a street play which emphasised the need for conservation of natural resources and what individuals need to do about it.
Students of Sree R.K.M.Sharada Vidyalam Model Higher Secondary School, T.Nagar, said that they have collected 27,000 signatures in support of the campaign. “We have been doing a lot of activities to create environment consciousness. The Environment Ministers at school, chosen from among the students, are positioned at the entrance to check if the students are bringing plastic bottles and wrappers to class,” said G. Sandhya, a Std IX student.
Headmistress Kannaki Prabhakaran, said the students were actively participating in the efforts to save energy and create awareness among the public.
Individuals and organisations who are associated with the campaign shared their experiences and messages.
