Good morning friends
Yesterday I received a message from my electric service provider talking about the Earth Hour which will be observed today, 25th March between 8.30 pm and 9.30 pm.
As I searched for more information about this event, I found it easily on the Internet. To quote Wikipedia,”Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event is held annually, encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March, as a symbol of commitment to the planet.”
Sounds like a great concept, does it not ? “ Switch off lights and Switch on concern for the planet for 60 minutes.” , is such a wonderful slogan. But apparently, this concept is not as great as it looks. There are many criticisms against this concept, a strong one being that it does not really reduce the consumption of electricity. But maybe it motivates people to think more about environmental issues, which is a good idea. I also think that the concern for the planet should be an ongoing affair, not something which lasts for only 60 minutes.
As I was going through all the pros and cons for this project, I remembered another video that I had recently watched. This video is about a small village ( I couldn’t catch the name of this village, but it was something-vadgaon; so probably a village from Maharashtra )
This village has a policy of ‘Digital Detox’, meaning that all the screens in the village are shut off every day from 7 to 8.30 pm. A batch of volunteers goes around the village checking that every person and family in the village is following the rules.
The video shows the interviews of residents and their opinion about this policy. The families were very happy that the ladies of the house were cooking for the family rather than watching serials. In general, they found this time together great for close bonding.
The teachers were the ones who were really very pleased with this arrangement. They have experienced a change for the better in the concentration of their students. They also found that the students were completing their homework and hence could grasp their lessons easily.
I think this is a brilliant idea. Such initiatives are really useful for our society and especially for our children. I hope more and more villages can adopt similar ideas which will reduce the screen time.
Along with this, I think all of us need a screen detox from time to time. It would be so nice if we could create “ No screen zones” in our homes ( and schools and colleges ), at least during meal times. I think it’s essential for nurturing the future generations.
Love,
Anjali Bhatawdekar
