People around the world will unplug on a massive scale tomorrow to mark Earth Hour, a global solidarity event which each year brings people together to vouchsafe our planet's future.
Every year the event, which began in 2007 in Australia, witnesses important landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge plunged into darkness for a full 60 minutes.
I caught up online with a friend of mine currently studying in Brisbane last week.
After exchanging a year's worth of news, our conversation veered to the upcoming Earth Hour, something close to our hearts as we missed many a class to participate in our school's Eco Club activities.
She was so excited about switching off, it sounded like Christmas had come early for her.
From what she told me, the World Wildlife Fund, which spearheads the event, has done such an incredible job in educating Australian folk about Earth Hour, it is actually looked forward to as a big annual gathering.
Moreover, the country has an enthusiastic environment ministry, with former Midnight Oil rocker Peter Garrett at the helm and even a Minister for Climate Change and Water!
Closer to home however, I couldn't help feeling a little down last week after I phoned over a dozen schools in Bahrain to find out their activities for Earth Hour, only to discover that most of them didn't have a clue what I was talking about.
Some of them had environment as part of their syllabus, but it was disheartening to know that they shirked from actually putting the lessons into practice.
It has long been an argument that extra-curricular activity distracts students from classes and nothing fruitful comes of it.
I remember the Green Week we had in school, when teachers turned up in green and the students in green ribbons.
Some of my classmates planted saplings, while others helped empty the hand-painted recycle bin which had taken the collaborative effort of many months of hard work to be filled.
It used to be almost routine for most of us to come to school with a bunch of newspapers and then slide them down the recycle bin chute.
There was also a memorable clean-up day, when we volunteered to clean our school campus, picking up empty Coke cans, polythene bags and other rubbish.
I can never forget a friend of mine who was always on the lookout for people with recently opened Coke cans, to collect the rings, which were then donated for making prosthetic limbs.
We also had seminars on shopping bags, climate change documentaries and hands-on green activities throughout the week.
You may wonder what good came of wearing green ribbons, but honestly, every time I go shopping I think twice before accepting plastic bags and I remember to use unused leaves of old notebooks when I'm studying.
There's nothing better than people coming together for a particular cause that will help reinforce it as a habit.
Also, there are no better institutions to promote them than those which educate us in our formative years.
Though there are social groups and hotels in Bahrain who are switching off, only schools can effectively help dissolve the callousness that prevails with regard to the environment.
You could have many interesting activities planned as a group or family for tomorrow, such as hosting unplugged events like an a cappella concert, a candlelit dinner, or a story-telling session.
My five year-old brother Abhishek and I will probably spend time melting chocolate over candles, with me making shadow puppets on the walls to scare him.
While lights go off around the world, there are groups of people who have taken the pledge to leave lights and appliances on in defiance, labelling the world-wide event a farce.
Though the credibility of international climate watchdogs is in disrepute over some of their exaggerated claims, we can't disbelieve the threat of climate change to our species and our planet. It was reported just days ago that a tiny island in the Bay of Bengal, known in India and Bangladesh as the New Moore and South Talpatti Island, respectively, has disappeared thanks to rising sea levels.
It's time Bahrain too joined hands with the world community in pledging support for our planet by switching off tomorrow from 8.30 to 9.30pm. For once, let's Vote Earth!
¥ Jennifer is a former Bahrain resident now studying in Mumbai.
