Made Arya Kencana Jakarta Globe 7 Mar 10;
Denpasar. On March 21, Indonesia will enjoy four hours of complete silence — that is, if everyone in the country participates in the third annual “World Day of Silence.”
Inspired by Bali’s Day of Silence, locally known as Nyepi, the world event is dedicated to battling global warming by not using cellular phones, riding motorbikes or driving cars, and turning off electronic appliances such as air conditioners, televisions, lamps, radios and computers from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.
Over the weekend, local environmental associations began promoting the World Day of Silence.
A number of groups, including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the Environmental Research Center (PPLH), and the Bali Organic Association, spent Saturday collecting signatures at Kuta Beach and the Ground Zero monument on Legian Road to help the action a global movement.
March 21 was chosen to coincide with the equinox, when the sun is precisely above the equator.
This year, the World Day of Silence will be celebrated locally in front of the Bajra Sandi Monument in Denpasar.
“Our colleagues in Australia, the Netherlands and Germany are also” collecting signatures to make the World Day of Silence a global movement, said Gusti Ayu Fransiska Kusumadewi, the coordinator of the action, adding that they were aiming to collect 10,000 signatures.
Gusti said that in the long run, the organizers were aiming to collect 10 million signatures so that the United Nations would officially recognize March 21 as the World Day of Silence.
Meanwhile, Herni Frilia Hastuti, an activist with Bali’s Environmental Research Center, said the campaign was also to support Nyepi, which will be celebrated on March 16.
“The Nyepi celebration has proved to be able to reduce emissions by 20 million tons. So one person is very precious to us to join this movement to reduce global emissions,” Herni said.
Nyepi, which begins at 6 a.m. on March 16 and lasts for 24 hours, is the Balinese Hindu ritual that prescribes complete quiet and prohibits such worldly distractions as work, travel and entertainment.
The island will also be in complete darkness because the celebration prohibits any lights. Tourists are advised not to leave their hotels and Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport will be closed to honor the day.
