The World Silent Day campaign is based on the Balinese tradition of 24 hours of inactivity  to rejuvenate humans and give the earth one of rest from the onslaught of human activities. This tradition is offered to the global community as a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emission.

“Amidst the heavy negotiation agenda, we try to make use of available space and time to attract participants to the campaign and to mobilize support for WSD” said Agung Wardana. He registered as an observer through the Friends of the Earth International.

Campaign tools in the form of about 1000 brochures, stickers and postcards  were brought in from Bali by Wardana to be disseminated. Various campaign strategies were employed, through direct dialogue with participants, borrowing a space in the exhibition booth of other organizations, and pasting stickers in strategic places (see picture). Wardana even changed his  laptop wallpaper to show the WSD banner.
The responses varied when the WSD team explained that the campaign is inspired by the Nyepi day  in Bali when people refrain from travelling, working and putting on lights. Even the international airport of Bali is closed for 24 hours on that day. Many people cannot believe this but are also impressed that the Balinese community can refrain, for 24 hours,  from activities that produce green house gas emission.

“I have heard about this campaign. I am curious what is the situation in Bali during Nyepi; it is unbeleivable” said a government delegate from Nepal.
Some participants also understood the WSD campaign as a value that emerges from traditional wisdom of community in Bali. The value of restraining oneself and of respecting mother earth for sustainability of the earth itself is also common among other traditional/indigenous communities. They  said these values must be voiced out and raised as a bargaining position by communities in international negotiations.

The WSD team also tried to make alliances with similar campaigns. For instance, WSD will follow up with the  Zero Caravan and the tree hugger project. Zero Caravan is a campaign for participants who want to attend the COP 15 UNFCCC in  Copenhagen, 2009, by travelling (within Europe) using transport that will not produce greenhouse gas emission. The tree hugger project is an environemntal education project that encourages people to plant trees in 35 countries.

The Youth Delegation is another potential ally that was lobbied by the WSD team. There were about 400 youth delegates from many countries and can become a great voice for the WSD campaign.
A spokesperson of the Youth Delegation, who made a statement at the formal plenary, said that WSD is an excellent moral campaign. He is committed to help spread the message to other youths of the world.
Kate Horner from  Friends of the Earth US said she will participate in the  WSD pada 21 March  2009. This commitment was echoed by other campaigners of other  Friends of the Earth organizations.
The WSD team was also interviewed by vitaecivilus, an independent television of Brazil on the issue. The reporter is committed to spreading the message in Brazil.
Small steps that we hope will help to give energy to the WSD campaign.

Yoseph Dwi from Jakarta and Patricia from Sydney, Australia have shown the world that individual leadership is important in keeping the earth healthy. They believed in the World Silent Day campaign and had gone out of their way to contribute. The WSD team awards them for their leadership and this is their story.

WE shall Do it
Yoseph Dwi and his family wanted to try to live without electricity for four hours. And they did it!! He is therefore symbolically awarded by the World Silent Day (WSD) team. Yoseph was born and grew up in Bali. He now lives in Jakarta and often missed the Silent nuance of the Balinese Nyepi Day (the basis for WSD Campaign). In his comments at mysilent, he said he loves Bali and wants to do what is good for Bali.

He participated in the WSD for two reasons. First is the love for Bali. Secondly 21 March 2008 was Good Friday and Catholics are asked to refrain from eating meat and advised to fast. He thought this was a perfect way to combine the food fasting and the “electricity fasting”.

Yoseph made an extraordinary effort to participate in WSD 2008. Supported by his wife, he tried to convince his 9 year old son Bramm to reduce the use of electricity. The entire family switched off lights, electronic and electric appliances except the refrigerator to prevent food being spoiled. At the last minutes towards 10.00 a.m on 21 March 2008, Bramm sort of protested for not being able to watch his favorite TV programmed. But his mother managed to pacify him and the family then read and played together. They even switched off the hand phone, a vital tool for the family, Yoseph said.

The greatest challenge was taking the first step. But once that first step was taken, the commitment made, it was a question of how to keep the commitment. The temptation to switch on the TV and radio, particularly to get information, was difficult to overcome. The family also switched off lamps, the AC and the fan which normally were often switched on. They lighted a candle when going to the toilet.

In the end, Yoseph said the family wanted to do this again on their own, outside of March 21. And they hope it can be done regularly and often. They hoped this positive attitude and efficiency in using electricity can make a difference. A small step might be able to help make things better in Bali and the world, Yospeh hoped.

“Never give up! Beef up your confidence and keep advocating people that this campaign can help the environment and the earth” are his encouraging words for the WSD team, through email interview. He suggested that the 2009 WSD campaign be started early perhaps 2-3 months before the D day.

Enjoying the Silence
From her home in Sydney Patricia Parkinson opted to be silent on 7 March, the actual Nyepi day of Bali. As she wrote to the WSD team, ” After hearing for the first time about Nyepi when I was in Bali last December, and reading about World Silent Day on this website, I have for the first time in my life experienced the bliss of a whole day on 7 March purposely doing nothing, switching off lights, radio, tv, hi fi, mobile phone and computer. The only activity I had was to walk with my dog along my local river, and to lay down on the grass, listening to the sounds of nature”.

Patricia said this was amazing, a little scary at first not to have the distractions of all modern communication and having to face her own thoughts, but once she relaxed into it was really worth it. And the fact that it also had a meaning made it all the more enjoyable. “I would recommend it to anyone who is too busy doing things everyday to remember that it is just good to be alive on this planet, before the chaos of climate change hits (and if you read the latest thoughts of James Lovelock, it won’t be so long before Gaia takes its revenge on the abuse of humankind). Lets all try and awake the world to climate change, in silence, on March 21!”

And others too…
There are many WSD leaders and they all deserve awards. Patricia and Yoseph are symbolic representations of those who joined the silence during March 21. Some have told us their stories in mysilentday; others have helped to campaign the cause through their blog, yet others have observed the silent day but perhaps have not informed us. The following is a list some of those who joined the Silent Day and told us about it.
Companies also contributed to the cause. The Malaysian Qualifications Agency switched off many appliances for two hours. The Aston Bali Resort & Spa in Nusa Dua, Bali contributed by distributing the WSD fliers to their guests. Aston knew about the program from the Bali Hotels Association network and its management was very supportive of the program.
Ayu Pradnyawita, the Executive Secretary in an interview said the management wanted to share the WSD with guests to give them an understanding about climate change issues and how to do their own campaign to support the program. They hope this can reduce the consumption of unnecessary energy that will affect the climate change. She suggested the WSD team should keep campaigning in a continuous manner, especially for hotels and tourism facilitations. The WSD team also thanks everyone who made the campaign possible, the bloggers, the media, the volunteers, the various people who care.

With your support, We SHALL DO IT!! Welcome to the 2009 World Silent Day!! (K Ayu Sarasvati)

We Shall Do it! (WSD)
Yoseph Dwi dan keluarganya mencoba untuk hidup tanpa listrik selama empat jam. Dan mereka pun melakukannya!! Oleh sebab itu dia diberikan penghargaan secara simbolis oleh Tim World Silent Day (WSD). Yoseph lahir dan besar di Bali. Dia saat ini tinggal di Jakarta dan terkadang merindukan suasana hening Hari Raya Nyepi di Bali (hari yang menjadi inspirasi untuk melakukan kampanye WSD). Dalam mysilent@worldsilentday.org, dia menyatakan cinta Bali dan ingin melakukan apa yang baik bagi Bali.

Dia berpartisipasi dalam WSD karena dua alasan. Pertama adalah kecintaannya pada Bali. Kedua bahwa 21 Maret 2008 adalah Jumat Agung dan bagi umat Katholic diminta untuk menahan diri tidak makan daging dan dianjurkan berpuasa. Dia berpikir hal tersebut merupakan jalan sempurna untuk mengkombinasikan antara puasa makanan dan ‘puasa listrik.’

Yoseph membuat usaha yang luar biasa untuk berpartisipasi dalam WSD 2008. Didukung oleh isterinya, dia berusaha meyakinkan Bramm,– anaknya yang berumur 9 tahun–, untuk mengurangi listrik. Seluruh keluarga mematikan lampu, peralatan elektronik kecuali lemari es (mencegah makanan menjadi rusak). Pada menit-menit terakhir antara pukul 10.00- 14.00 pada 21 Maret 2008, Bramm protes karena tidak diperbolehkan menonton acara TV favoritnya. Namun Ibu nya menenangkannya, keluarga tersebut kemudian membaca dan bermain bersama. Mereka bahkan mematikan handphone, peralatan penting bagi keluarga, kata Yoseph.

Tantangan terbesar dalam mendukung WSD adalah ketika memulai langkah pertama. Namun sekali langkah pertama tersebut diambil, komitmen dibuat, pertanyaan berikutnya bagaimana mempertahankan komitmen tersebut. Godaan menyalakan TV dan radio, terutama untuk memperoleh informasi, merupakan hal yang sulit diatasi. Anggota keluarga juga mematikan lampu, AC dan kipas angin yang biasa menyala.

Pada akhirnya, Joseph menyatakan bahwa keluarganya ingin kembali melakukannya sendiri Hari Hening diluar 21 Maret. Dan mereka berharap hal tersebut dapat dilakukan secara rutin dan lebih sering. Selain itu, mereka berharap bahwa prilaku positif dan hemat penggunaan listrik dapat membuat sebuah perubahan. Sebuah langkah kecil mungkin dapat membantu membuat sesuatu menjadi lebih baik di Bali dan dunia, Yoseph berharap.
“Jangan pernah menyerah! Bangun kepercayaan dirimu dan tetap mengadvokasi masyarakat bahwa kampanye ini dapat membantu lingkungan hidup dan bumi” itulh kata-kata pemberi semangat bagi Tim WSD, melalui wawancara di email. Dia menyarankan untuk memulai kampanye WSD 2009 lebih awal sekitar 2-3 bulan sebelum hari H.

Menikmati Keheningan
Dari rumahnya di Sidney, Patricia Parkinson memilih untuk hening pada 7 Maret pada Hari Nyepi Bali. Sebagaimana ia tulis kepada tim WSD. “Setelah mendengar untuk pertama kalinya tentang Nyepi ketika saya berada di Bali, Desember lalu. Dan membaca tentang World Silent Day di situs, saya melakukan untuk pertama kali dalam hidup saya dengan sepanjang hari pada 7 Maret tidak melakukan apa-apa, mematikan lampu, radio, tv, hi fi, HP dan computer. Satu-satunya aktivitas yang saya lakukan adalah bercakap-cakap dengan anjing saya, berjalan- jalan melintasi sungai setempat, berbaring di rerumputan, mendengarkan suara-suara alam”.

Particia berkata bahwa hal tersebut sangat mengagumkan. Sedikit ketakutan pada awal hendak mengikuti Hari Hening, tanpa selingan alat komunikasi modern dan menghadapi berbagai hal dalam pikirannya sendiri. Namun dia mendapat ketenangan yang sangat berharga. Dan kenyataannya bahwa melakukan imbauan Hening tanpa listrik tersebut juga memiliki sebuah makna yang membuat semuanya menjadi lebih menyenangkan. “Saya akan menyarankan hal tersebut kepada setiap orang yang terlalu sibuk melakukan sesuatu setiap hari. Mengingatkan bahwa melakukan ”hening”dalam kehidupan di planet ini sungguh baik, sebelum kekacauan dari perubahan iklim menyerang (dan jika anda membaca pemikiran terakhir dari James Lovelock, hal tersebut tidak akan lama sebelum Gaia membalas dendam atas kesewenang-wenangan manusia). Mari kita semua mencoba dan membangunkan dunia tentang perubahan iklim, dengan hening, pada 21 Maret!”

Begitu Juga Dengan Yang Lainnya
Ada begitu banyak pemimpin WSD dan mereka semua patut mendapatkan penghargaan. Patricia dan Yoseph merupakan representasi simbolik dari orang-orang yang bergabung dalam keheningan pada 21 Maret. Banyak yang telah bercerita pada kami tentang pengalaman mereka pada mysilent; yang lain juga telah membantu untuk meng-kampanye-kannya pada blog; orang-orang lainnya mungkin mengikuti hari hening ini namun tidak memberikan informasi kepada kami. Berikut ini adalah daftar nama, siapa saja yang bergabung pada WSD dan memberitahukan kita ceritanya. Sebagian dari mereka yang ikut aksi WSD.

Ayu Pradnyawita, Sekretaris Eksekutif hotel tersebut dalam wawancaranya mengatakan bahwa manajemen berkeinginan untuk berbagi WSD dengan para tamu, memberikan pengertian tentang permasalahan perubahan iklim dan bagaimana melakukan kampanye untuk mendukung program ini. Mereka berharap hal ini dapat mengurangi konsumsi energi yang tidak diperlukan dan menjadi salah satu penyebab perubahan iklim. Ia menyarankan Tim WSD harus tetap meng-kampanye-kannya dengan cara berkesinambungan, terutama pada sektor pariwisata.

Tim WSD juga mengucapkan terima kasih kepada kepada siapapun yang membuat kampanye ini berjalan, blogger, media, relawan, dan berbagai masyarakat yang peduli.

Dengan dukungan anda, We SHALL DO IT!! Selamat Datang World Silent Day 2009!! (K. Ayu Sarasvati)