For those bitten by the Earth Hour bug...

Scratch your itch with this! =)

(click for larger view)

If you're interested to attend this but not too keen on going alone, leave an RSVP comment here and you can make plans with others who may be interested too!

Post Earth Hour (part 2)

Here's a sharing by Aaron Oo. He attended the More than 60 Earth Hour programme in Ipoh.


Earth Hour is a programme created by the World Wild Fund (WWF) to send a message to the whole world that we are concern over the environment.

We gathered at the La Salle Centre and was briefed by Jia Xin before walking towards the D.R. Park. We were spreading and inviting people to join in Earth Hour which was going to kick off at 8.30 pm.

Finally we arrived at our destination and took a group photo before kicking off the project. The joggers were the main people and we invited them to join us. Most of them were well informed because they were being told by their family members and friends. Some heard and read about the event over the mass media. Though they had heard about it, some didn't really know what they can do to contribute to this event besides just switching off their lights. Hence, we stepped in to give them a clearer picture. They even supported our group.

We later had a short reflection back at La Salle Centre. The activity that was held for the reflection session was to write down our thoughts and a pledge of how we’d like to support this programme in future. We wrote our pledges on recycled paper and affixed our thumbprint as a sign of commitment.
Overall, the event was a success though there were only 16 people. It is not the number of people but the quality and commitment shown by these 16 people who stepped out and spread the message about Earth Hour. There are no hard and fast rules to make the environment clean. It takes time to do so. Earth Hour isn't just an annual event but to be cultivated and enhanced into our daily practices.

That's all from us in Ipoh. Enjoy Earth Hour next year too!

Aaron

(My sincerest apologies to Aaron for not posting earlier, I originally thought I did, but it was kept as a draft...SORRY!)

More than Earth Hour report from Sarawak

Here's a short piece by Lasallian Maurice Wee in Sarawak.

Enjoy!!

On the 28th of March 2009, a group of volunteers gathered at the Reservoir Park at Jalan Taman Budaya to celebrate Earth Hour in a green way. The activity organised by the Lasallian society was aimed at giving back what Mother Nature has abundantly provided for us and to realize the sheer hard work needed to clean up the environment.

The group which consisted of 9 volunteers gathered at the park entrance at 2.oo p.m. After a short briefing and a black bag-giving ceremony, the volunteers were off to pick up rubbish around the reservoir. The reservoir is situated in the city centre and provides Kuchingites ample space for outdoor activities that is just a stone’s throw away. This reservoir is unique in a way as it is a haven for humans and nature alike. The park is surrounded by trees, housing birdlife, aquatic life and parking spaces. With all of this, the reservoir becomes an oasis in the desert for man and nature alike.

Everyone had a bag, including the cameraman

The volunteers started their work at 2.15 p.m. It was hard work for the volunteers as they had to work in the afternoon sun. Moreover, the reservoir was sadly littered with rubbish that was found in the thick bushes, on the side of the hills and in nooks and crannies that were especially hard and dangerous for the volunteers to reach. Nonetheless, no one was hurt during the duration of the activity and the volunteers left behind them a cleaner path for joggers and wildlife alike. The volunteers also took a 15 minute breather at a playground to regain energy and spirits. The time was also used to capture unforgettable moments on camera and reflect on how we felt at that moment. We made it back to the starting point at 4.15 p.m. near the reservoir park entrance to have a look at what we had collected in our Christmas sacks…

All our 9 black bags that were issued to every volunteer turned out to be half full which was an accomplishment for an individual 2 hour job that covered an average 1000 metres along the reservoir park. Our bags were opened and we had collected a list of things ranging from glass bottles, sweet wrappers, tissues, cigarette butts, news papers and even condom packets. We were in awe at what we had collected.

The necessary group picture!

However, that wasn’t all. Drenched in sweat and hands dirty from picking up rubbish, our volunteers had also managed to reflect on what they felt during the activity. The volunteers all agreed that they felt frustrated at the condition of the park. But most importantly, they also learned the hard work that was needed to clean up after others. What the volunteers felt was only a fraction to what people like janitors and road sweepers were going through each day. These people have to clean up after others and they are often looked down in the society as dirty and unwanted jobs. In reality, these people play an important part in keeping our environment clean and free of rubbish for us but society could only help by providing more rubbish and giving the same excuse to litter by comforting themselves saying, “that’s what these people are for,”.

We hope that what we did and felt through the whole activity will inspire more to do the same for the environment. Our volunteers left the park tired, sweaty and dirty but with a priceless feeling of self-satisfaction, having done something for the environment. May Earth Hour bring a significant change in how you treat mama nature in the future.

VIVA LASALLIANA

What have YOU done for the environment today?

(Starting to give excuses already?)

Black bag troopers ready!

Sexed up in Sarawak

Now that we got your attention with the title ;) (which came from Tsuchong)

Here are more photos from the FT meet in Sarawak held last month. The topic of discussion was SEXUALITY.

Tre-lala-lero?

Sarawak FT Meet 1

A little late, but our friends over in Sarawak had their own FT meet 1 a couple of weeks back.

Here's a sharing from Choulyin on her experience in Sarawak FT meet 1.


[Credits to Choulyin. Direct link to her blog post on FT1 - click here]
-----

So, FT weekend for Sarawak came and went two weeks ago ^^

Big crowd, superb speakers, and great messages were conveyed.

So what was the content of our weekend? Sexuality.

We had Andrew come in and give talks on being aware of our bodies, relationships (of all kinds), why we get into relationships (the real reasons vs delusional reasons), and sexual intercourse.

Andrew and Ms Yuwana

He brought along Ms Yuwana, who's the president for the Sarawak Aids Concern Society, and she in turn, educated us on HIV/AIDS, and how important it is to respect others, including those who experience sexual prejudice, domestic violence, and discrimination.

It was a very enlightening weekend for all those involved, as it was a relevant topic that's simply taboo to society nowadays. The mere mention of the term sexuality could cause some people to shy away and pretend they've never heard of it. Which was exactly what happened in the beginning of the first session. It was noticeable that the participants knew exactly what was being said, but would rather pretend that they have never heard of the term before. But after the first session and under Andrew's careful lead and contagious laughter, they were able to come out of their shell and address the issues they were facing, and ask some pertinent questions they really wanted to know about but were too shy to ask.

Personally, I felt it was an appropriate topic for this weekend, as there are those who do not dare to talk about this matter, but it's something that everyone needs to know. Another thing that I'm really proud of, is that we have finally managed to formalise our FT process in Sarawak.

On a side note, that weekend was great in that I managed to meet up with old friends (of whom I might not have the time to meet otherwise), and organising this event yet again for the participants gave me a sense of fulfillment and contentment. There's just something about the knowledge that you have managed to touch their lives and made them view their life with a more positive outlook, and that gives you a sense of accomplishment. It just makes you feel really happy and give you that emotional boost you need.

:p hehe..I love this pic

Too often we get caught up in the daily rigours of life, and get tired out from the demands that are expected from us. So when the opportunity of catching up with old friends came along, we grab it, and prepare ourselves for two days of relaxation, and mindless gossip :p haha...coming back after a hectic calendar to pump petrol for our emotional state of mind.

Group photo for FT weekend

as is the case for all group photos, there just has to be one stupid one :p

Coming up next LS programme, Food4Thot, mainly organised by the LSS in St Joe, with little little slivers of help from Sarawak FT ^^

:D

Earth Hour - Malacca!

Dear FT-ians

Similarly, our FT members in Malacca organized a clean up session in conjunction with Earth Hour 2009. Initial response was not encouraging, but after much effort and perseverance, the show was on!

A total of 8+1 (you’ll know what I mean) FT members showed up and braced the blazing Saturday noon sun to make a difference by cleaning up the whole stretch of Jalan Parameswara (SFI to clock tower).

Though the numbers are small, it was irrelevant as the commitment and zeal of these FT members were inspiring. They had made a difference.

A BIG THANK YOU to all that were involve!!

[Pictures courtesy of Sean @ http://snowysean90.blogspot.com/2009/03/earth-hour-in-malacca.html

8+1 (spot the +1)

"This is gonna hurt my back!"

Bagirathan reaching out with his extend-able arm

Meeting people championing a similar course

After Earth Hour...

A big THANK YOU to all of you who took the time to be a part of the regional efforts for More than 60 Earth Hour.


As promised, here are some photos and sharings. We kick off first with the gathering up north in Ipoh.


In conjunction with ’60 Earth Hour’, FT members in Ipoh also took part in the ‘More Than Earth Hour 2009’ event. Besides FT members, we invited St. Michael’s school students who were interested and also our friends to join in. 16 people turned up. At 8.15 a.m. we journeyed from La Salle Centre to DR Park by foot. Upon reaching we divided ourselves into small groups to clean up the park and spread the awareness of ’60 Earth Hour’.

In preparation for this event, invitation cards were made to be given out to the people in the park. These cards provided us the groundwork we needed to reach out to those who were in DR Park. Most of them were very appreciative of our efforts and accepted our invitation with open arms. There were some who responded commenting on what else we should do for earth hour i.e. not lighting up candles for it produces carbon.

We opted to use biodegradable plastic bags to collect rubbish. Though there was shortage of these plastic bags, our efforts to clean up the environment remained. After spending 45 minutes in the park, we walked back to the La Salle Centre for a closing ceremony whereby a short reflection was conducted and everyone pledged within their boundaries to make our world a better place to live in.


-Jiaxin (Ipoh coordinator for More than 60 Earth Hour)

Spreading the news to the public

The Ipoh gang