The Nyepi holiday this year comes tomorrow, only about a week before Earth Hour on March 31. But actually the idea of having a moment of silence came thousands of years ago… knowing this year’s Nyepi is on 1934th year of Çaka, the Balinese (and Hindu Indian) calendar.
While there have been controversies around the impact of Earth Hour towards global warming and energy saving—some said the impact is as little as 1.5% less electricity, others claimed otherwise, and some others turn off lights but light up candles, replacing one emission to another instead of reducing—the benefit of having a whole day off makes more sense.
It’s even a total silence, not just turning off the lights like the Earth Hour. So during Nyepi, people in Bali (and surely Hindu Balinese people all around the globe as well) turn off any lights, don’t make any sounds, and spends the day not going out of the house. Guests at hotels are encouraged to stay at the hotel since the beaches and streets will be empty, and the airport will have a day-off… so it also makes a pollution-free day, which is scientifically more relevant in reducing global warming since the warming comes from the carbon dioxide emission rather than just heat from electricity. After all, electricity was probably meant to be a more environment-friendly energy source than fossil fuels, that’s why automotive industry develop hybrid and fully-electric cars for the future.
Psychologically, people are made free from dependency to things, not just to lights, and the earth is made free from many human treatments (and mistreatments). A day when humans and the earth restore the respect of each other, and all wounds in between are healed. A day of hope… that this relationship between humans and the earth can still go on, symbiotically. The earth provides and humans labor for the benefits of both, not just for themselves.
Without being disrespectful to the effort of creating awareness and the nice images the Earth Hour movement has made, the true baby little step we can make to reduce global warming is to really start a green lifestyle… even with literally eating more green. Yes, vegetables and animal-free protein. We don’t all have to be vegan, but reducing won’t hurt, and it’s not that difficult. We can start by joining Paul McCartney’s cause, Meat-Free Monday, for example.
There are quite plenty other options we can take, like in this 40 Green Tips book I found at Aksara Bookstore in Jakarta, written by Gouri Mirpouri. Buying local food instead of imports is one of them, and I suppose it goes the same with other goods like clothes, which if comes in great scale will increase fossil fuel emissions from ships and airplanes significantly.
I suppose traveling around the globe—which is considered as a healthy lifestyle due to its stress-relieving benefit—is in danger to become an unhealthy one if done too often, since travelers will increase the number of flights, which won’t increase without the rise of demands.
In the end it will lead us to one line… which is to reduce (or control) the way we consume things. It’s in our animal instinct to consume, predate and take things for granted, especially having been able to afford, and having been comfortable to certain behaviors and facilities to find it difficult to change. But it’s also in our animal instinct to play a part in the ecosystem. And while other animals are eaten and dead before being useful for the ecosystem, we humans can be useful when alive… by doing something for the earth.
(I guess I’ll start with green journalism and green advertising.)
