THE importance of safeguarding the planet’s water resources and the environment was highlighted on Wednesday as Earth Hour 2019 was launched at the University of Guyana (UG).

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organised by the World Wide Fund (WWF). It has become an annual event, observed in March, that encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to reduce their carbon footprints, as part of the effort to conserve and protect planet earth.

The Earth Hour 2019 campaign is held under the theme “Water & You” and highlights three critical areas – Wetlands, Marine Conservation and Human Well-being.

“Guyana is home for a wide range of biodiversity and our forests, and globally, there has been a staggering decrease in biodiversity; and Earth Hour this year highlights the importance of biodiversity and encourages us to connect to nature,” Communications Consultant for WWF Guyana, Dion Kush, told the Guyana Chronicle.

“If we don’t connect to nature, there’s no way that I feel like we should care and take care of our environment,” she explained.

And in giving consideration to the environment, she said that it is the small changes that the average person can make that will make a large impact on protecting the environment.

These would include using reusable water bottles, using coffee mugs, reducing the use of single-use plastics, and turning off taps while not in use.

She even indicated that the draft of the Guyana Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), being championed by President Granger himself, is one which aligns well with the message of Earth Hour activities.

“It deals with connecting the importance of nature to your health, well-being, education and so forth,” Kush noted. “Most of [our efforts] are captured in the GSDS.”

UG’s Biology Club and Eco-Trust Society led the way and kicked off the month of activities by facilitating the launch at their exhibition and symposium on Wednesday. Their expo was geared at generating awareness on the importance of water resources and the environment.

At the simple event, students created models to showcase Guyana’s biodiversity and illustrate how the environment is fundamental in the preservation of livelihoods.