The Lights-out campaign is here again!

CHENNAI: The immensely-popular flagship programme of Exnora against global warming, the lights-out campaign will be held on November 11 for 11 minutes this year. Announcing this at the launch of the month-long campaign to urge people to show their solidarity against global warming, MD Nirmal, founder of Exnora, said the 11-minute lights-off campaign called Adapt 11 would be held at 11 am on 11/11/2011.Akin to such campaigns held in 2008 (88888 lights out), 2009 ('Save the Earth 99999 Lights out) and 2010 (5 tens campaign), Adapt 11 will spread the word about global warming, and ask people to shut their lights out for the prescribed 11 minutes on November 11 to support the fight against global warming, Nirmal said. He asked youngsters to adapt a lifestyle that could curtail global warming to the extent possible. All India Bank Employees Association’s general secretary CH Venkatachalam, the brand ambassador for the campaign this year, listed out 11 small, albeit significant ways by which people could be environment-conscious-like switching off fans and lights, while taking a bath.The campaign this year will feature 11 mega events starting November 1, themed on the 11 points to reduce one’s carbon footprint, said Mathew of the Youth Exnora International, which organised the launch event on Monday. The organisation also awarded Dr V Mannar Jawahar, Vice-Chancellor of the Anna University, with the Prakrithi Rathna Award.At the event held on Monday, to introduce the campaign, 11 celebrities from different walks of life were invited to share their commitment to the cause of fighting global warming. Rev A M Chinnappa, Archbishop of Madras — Mylapore, filmmaker Thyagarajan, danseuse Gopika Varma, RJ Dheena and TV personality Nirmala Periasamy were among the personalities who were present at the event.Noting that selfishness and casteism were the cause for social warming, wherein people were always seething with anger, Chinnappa stressed on the need to think of others’ welfare and live in harmony. Mannar Jawahar asked more students to participate in the campaign, and said initiatives like these were precursors for a green revolution.