Leading sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik has been chosen as the ambassador of the Odisha campaign of Earth Hour to be observed from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm on March 29.
Patnaik and his students will be putting up a sand art on the theme on Puri beach on March 28. The objective is to generate awareness among general public on the dangers of climate change and motivate them to adopt renewable energy.
“I am very happy to join this noble campaign and appeal to all my fellow Odias to observe the Earth Hour and save the world from global warming,” Patnaik said.
Earth Hour, the global event organised by World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature asking households and business houses to turn off their non-essential lights and other technical appliances for one hour in the evening, has evoked great response in the State. In 2014, the campaign resulted in reducing the State’s evening peak demand to the tune of 580 MW, saving a whopping six lakh units of electricity.
The Earth Hour 2014 Odisha Campaign is being organised by TiE Bhubaneswar Cleantech SIG, Canyon Consultancy and Climate Parliament (Odisha Chapter). Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has joined the Odisha Earth Hour Campaign team to organise an awareness rally from AG Square to Raj Bhavan Chowk by switching off the streetlights and switching on solar lights during the scheduled Earth Hour period from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm on March 29. Universities and colleges have also been approached by the team for observing the Earth Hour.
From one city initiative started at Sydney on March 31, 2007, the campaign has assumed global dimensions. India joined in 2009.
