PRESS RELEASE
Over 20,000 hours of nature positive actions pledged to Earth
Earth Hour celebration engages over 2500 youth
Thimphu, March 23 – More than hundreds of youths and members from conservation organizations, government representatives and members of central monastic body hiked up till Kuenselphodrang from Druk School to celebrate Earth Hour 2024 today.
The more than two hours of hiking and picking trash along the road leading to Kuenselphodrang was organized as part of the global Earth Hour campaign – The Biggest Hour for Earth with the call-to-action “Give an hour for Earth”.
The plogging event was followed offering of 1000 butter lamps, inspired by Buddhist faith and practice of praying for the world peace and harmony.
The event encouraged youth and participants to believe in individual actions and the strength in coming together to act for our shared home. The campaign inspires actions from everyone and anyone to feel inspired and empowered to play a part, no matter how small.
Chimi Rinzin, Country Director:
"Earth Hour has sparked many inspiring actions to tackle climate change and nature loss for the past 10 years.At WWF-Bhutan, inspiring change and stewardship form an integral part of our behavioral change approach, which is aimed at cultivating the understanding and appreciation for our natural world. We hope to nurture generations of proactive advocates championing sustainable practices for biodiversity conservation that contribute to economy and societal wellbeing.”
“Earth Hour is a big platform to reach our most active section of society - the youth. We have collectively reached over 2500 youth this year. I hope this collaboration encouraged you to learn more and reconnect with our planet and empowered you to seek solutions to solve problems facing our shared home."
WWF-Bhutan in partnership with Bhutan for Life, Tarayana Foundation and its youth network, EFN Society, and YPEER network in Bhutan organized series of events leading to the Earth Hour celebration in March.
The events reached over 2500 youth across the country and inspired the diverse youth groups to engage in sustainable actions aimed at long-term behavioral changes.
EFN Society calls for cleaner cities, improved public health, and sustainable waste management
On March 9, EFN Society in collaboration with Rover Scouts, Tarayana Club, and Y-Peer members organized a cleaning campaign at the core of Thimphu thromde. The pet bottles collected were responsibly sold to scrap, promoting a circular economy. The group also highlighted the importance of individual roles in managing the waste sustainably.
The young and enthusiastic youth were seen in action, cleaning the clogged drain and picking up discarded pet bottles at the core of capital city. The youth group highlighted the health risk associated with unsustainable waste management practices.
The group collectively dedicated 88 hours of cleaning campaign and advocacy actions as part of the global campaign - The Biggest Hour for Earth.
The RTC Education for Nature (EFN) Society was formed in October 2020 by 11 EFN Scholars supported by WWF studying BSc Environmental Management at Royal Thimphu College (RTC).
Empowering over 1400 youth to make informed choices in reproductive health while contributing to climate action
As part of the Earth Hour 2024 celebration, YPEER engaged five different youth networks in xxx dzongkhags in awareness and advocacy workshops aimed at educating the youth on the environmental impact of menstrual products and the benefits of menstrual cups.
Through different interactive sessions and screening of documentary videos, more than 1000 youth were informed on the importance of sustainable practices, environmental conservation and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
The event promoted menstrual cups as more sustainable and eco-friendlier alternative to conventional menstrual pads, offering not only environmental benefits but also addressing the SRHR needs of young individuals in Bhutan.
The Earth Hour event was conducted across five colleges in Bhutan, strategically leveraging the occasion of Earth Hour to amplify the message that helped reach wider audience and instilled a sense of urgency regarding the need for sustainable practices in both SRHR and environmental conservation.
The campaign not only provided young individuals with access to sustainable menstrual hygiene products but also empowered them to make informed choices about their reproductive health while contributing to climate action.
Taking Earth Hour to the heart of rural communities
The message on the need to act on the nature loss and climate crisis reached the rural communities through the Earth Hour event organized by Tarayana Foundation and its field networks.
Advocacy programs for rural communities on Climate change, waste management, water conservation, sustainable future for earth were organized as part of the Earth Hour events in March.
The event engaged three Tarayana Clubs from CNR, Sherubtse College, and Gyelposhing College of Information and Technology (GCIT).
The Earth Hour events organized by Tarayana Foundation used various social media platforms to engage youth and to inspire actions among the youth groups on climate crisis and nature loss, encourage discussion and dialogues on nature loss and sustainable living, and enhance partnerships with local conservation partners and youth groups.
The Biggest Hour for Earth campaign brought together millions of people from more than 190 countries together reminding the world of the importance of our planet, and the need to protect it. The campaign inspires and empowers the smallest of actions for planet earth.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of our daily lives - where it can be easy to overlook the climate and nature crises we are facing - Earth Hour aims to be an unmissable global reminder of the importance of our planet, the need to protect it, and how little time we have to do so.
As part of the Earth Hour celebration organised in collaboration with conservation partners and youth networks, close to 20,000 were given to earth from Bhutan as part of the global earth hour campaign of creating the Biggest Hour for Earth.
