Photos © Apoorv Tiwary
On Sunday May 19, Greenpeace organised a renewable energy community fair called “Switch on the Sun” at Press Enclave, Saket. The fair is a part of their renewable energy campaign targeted for New Delhi to raise awareness on solar energy.
They had 15 volunteers working to set up the kiosks and solar panels from 11 am onwards out in the scorching sun! It was almost 46 C outside, and kudos to the Greenpeace volunteers for organising the event despite of harsh weather conditions. The fair began late afternoon and wrapped up around 8:30 PM.
The program itself was very creatively strung together, with activities arranged for children and adults equally. They were stocked up with some great publicity material, which contained all the relevant information on the renewable energy campaign. They had enthusiastic young volunteers, who very well informed and educated us on the power of solar energy and the challenges to implement it effectively. An informative street play was conducted by the volunteers, which added to the energy of the event.
Delhi Drummers were the icing on the cake! They enthralled us with superb percussion music performance which got everyone dancing; there was a great positive vibe in the atmosphere!
Overall, the programming of the event was simply fabulous! Greenpeace gets immense support widely because the causes they take up are so relevant. And not to forget, Greenpeace’s work reflects high standards of integrity.
We had all age groups attending the event - young children, teenagers and elderly people. The heat did not stop people from attending the community fair. About 200 people attended the event, which for a small colony like Press Enclave with approximately 176 apartments, is certainly a success!
We put in very minimal effort from our end, except coordinating work through phone calls. Everything was done by Greenpeace volunteers and staff.
My only disappointment - I thought we would conclude the event with installing solar panels on our roof tops, thereby bringing down the use of our traditional electricity. But we were shocked to learn Delhi, the capital city, does not offer ANY subsidy on solar power yet.
Right now, all we can do is to keep up the pressure on the Delhi government to convert the subsidy policy into reality, so we can be closer to states like Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan that have surpassed Delhi in terms their use of solar energy.
Greenpeace India has our complete support until that happens!
Smita is a resident of Press Enclave.
Disclaimer: All views/opinions expressed in this articles are of the author/writer and NOT of this website.