Earth Hour, the Power of One and shaping Nepali environmental thinking

March 29, 8.00 p.m. local time was the day to reckon with the Power of One. Whether in Caracas, Kathmandu, Manila, or Washington DC, it makes a difference to see millions of people around the globe, raise their global environmental consciousness by turning off the lights for one hour. The net effect of turning off the light even for one minute would be great; an hour would be environmentally significant. As an individual act, it could give new meaning on how you care about the environment around you, your extraordinary potential as an Earth Saver. The Power of One was exhibited on Earth Hour to remind the global society of the need to manage our resources directly e.g. the rain forests, the river water that flows closest to our village, town or city, the forest lands, national parks, the tilled or barren land, energy whether it is produced using hydro electricity, kerosene or diesel; natural resources such as forest wood, leaves and coal. The Earth Hour also engendered our thinking, for instance: the role of women in our households, how they help save electricity or other precious fossil fuel resources while cooking for the entire family. It was also a day to remember the problems that arise from the unbalanced management of resources; conflicts of interest or conflicts over resources, resource management-induced disasters and how communities can respond to them.