I observed silence after putting off the light. It reminded me of the lightless, natural scene of peaceful Chitwan National Park where the lights are off and there is a natural setting. Sometimes, it is refreshing in the natural mode, free from gadgets and lights. I feel lucky that I at least have an inverter at home which gives respite from load-shedding. In most places of Nepal, there is forced lights-off due to load-shedding. Does that mean we are naturally nature-loving and virtually observing one aspect of Earth Hour by forcefully (naturally) not having lights for at least one hour everyday?

Loving and respecting the earth should be an everyday practice and not be limited to Earth Hour or Earth Day. There are some things which people in Kathmandu can do that would make us more environment-friendly. It is reported that around 6-7 lakh vehicles run everyday in the Kathmandu valley. So at least once a week on Friday, office-going employees, college-going students and other people could walk or cycle to their respective workplaces if the destinations are close and refrain from using private motor vehicles. Even if they have to use a motor vehicle, they could ride an electric vehicle or the bus and help to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. This would give some much-needed relief to traffic congestion.

Walking to one's destination once a week would be a great idea, since urban people have become overweight especially due to lack of exercise. The current chief of the Nepal Army has led the way by cycling to his office several times as an example of protecting the environment. We could start the new year by using fewer private vehicles and walking and using public transport more. The government should encourage public transport by lowering the tariff on the import of vehicles used for public transport. It would be good if we did environmentally-friendly activities step by step throughout the year, and with more vigour on Earth Day and Earth Hour.