Analysis of the Earth Hour Project - Essay Example

? Earth Hour Introduction Earth Hour is an initiative of the world wildlife fund (WWF). It is an annual event that is normally held each year in the last week of March. Earth Hour will be celebrated on March 23, 2013 at 8:30pm. People around the world are encouraged to turn off their lights for an hour. The aim of every Earth Hour activity is to increase the awareness of the need to protect the environment and this year particular emphasis will be placed on youths aged from 19 to 25. Our way of celebrating is to host an awareness and fundraising event on March 23, 2013. This is a major event that requires a lot of planning. This is a project. It is a sequence of unique but connected activities, the aim of which s to accomplish a goal within a specific time period, within the budget and in accordance with specification (Wysocki, 2009, p. 2). It is a temporary undertaking (Schwalbe, 2009, p. 39). Like any project it is a cycle planning, which includes initiation, planning, execution and closure. Project Review The project involves a day long session consisting of two presentations, entertainment, tea and lunch. The event requires the use of volunteers which will be recruited by sending letters to organisations that are normally supportive of and by posting flyers at libraries, transportation centers and other public places. It also involves researching themes, venues, and entertainment that embrace environmental protection. Motivation for Project The world needs us and so we need to stop destroying it by playing our part in the preservation of the environment. The alarming rates of extinction of animals, deteriorating forests, and increased pollutants in the air are all the outcome of pollution. This menace arose at the cost of our luxuries. Excessive burning of fossil fuels has resulted in the increased emissions of green house gases and has also resulted in the augmentation of different diseases. Serious steps need to be taken now or otherwise it may be too late. Reducing our luxuries is one of the most important things. The burden placed on our natural resources has also resulted in an imbalance which has in turn resulted in drastic changes in the environment. The concept of Earth Hour came out of an initiative which started off in Sydney in 2004 and then celebrated for the first time in 2007 (UNEP, 2009). It was being run by the name of “The Big Flick”. Then this concept started spreading and this year 147 countries participated in saving energy on 31 March for one hour. Since it is quite a good effort the number of countries that have participated have been increasing over time and so is the duration of Earth Hour. Furthermore, this campaign has gone beyond just connecting people and bringing them together in one place. There is now a good motive behind it as people tend to want to have good reasons for doing and supporting something. They expect that it will result in good outcomes. This is usually the only way that it can lead to a positive response. Events need to be properly conceptualized so that people might be aware of the reasons as well as the circumstances they will face if they do not support it. We are now in the process of arranging an event the purpose in very simple words is preserving our planet. Our purpose here is to motivate people towards saving the environment and contributing to its preservation. Earth Hour has resulted in the saving of energy by shutting off lights for a short while and we want to broaden the perspective. The event is being held in Brisbane capital of Queensland, the third populous county within Australia. The basic motive of our event will be making people aware of the possible hazards, the alarming increase in the population, and our usage of fossil fuels. We will try our best through the workshops and activities to create the realization in people that they should play their part in controlling the use of energy. The people themselves will put a stop to the extravagant use of the fossil fuels which has undoubtedly increased our comforts and luxuries but has also resulted in great damage to the environment decreasing our planets life and negatively impacting our future. Organization Chart An organization chart shows the reporting relationships in an organization. It illustrates the structure of the organization which is the formal system of tasks and reporting relationships in an organization (Jones et al., 1998, p. 23). The team involved in the Earth Hour project that is being planned for March 23, 2013 represents an organization of people with various functions. The Chairman for the event is to be decided on by the team. The support staff will come from volunteers who will be recruited by the management team. Therefore, they will be looking out for people with the required skills for their area of specialization. Figure 1: Organization Chart The event has been organized in a very proper way with organizers all at work. The proper hierarchy has been also mentioned to ensure proper functioning and positive outcome of the event. It will surely help in educating a number of people to understand the importance of the event. This basic purpose as mentioned earlier is saving energy which would not only increase our reserves for the future but also will be good for preserving the environment. Target Audience We have focused our attention on the young people mainly the range from 18 to 25 years. The basic theme will be targeting the children and youngsters who do not have much idea about Earth Hour but are interested in the green world concept. With our event we will try to remove all reservations that they have and try to persuade them and help them in contributing for the benefit of the world. Since the event is to be held next year that is for the coming Earth Hour we want it to be big and better with purposeful events. We have been working hard to make this a different experience with much more benefits. Further, this event is not only associated for just an hour but it has been planned to be for a longer duration. The key point that will be kept in mind is that the driving force of our event campaign is to stop the climatic changes which have caused drastic and extremely destructive consequences including famine in some countries. Therefore, this campaign we will be promoting all the possible ways to reduce and hopefully help to eliminate all the problems associated with climate change. The approach that will be taken is to also enlighten people of all the possible hazards. The younger generation has been targeted because they are expected to face problems in the future. In realizing that bad practices could create problems in the near future they will be definitely interested in working on this project. Moreover, the event will emphasize keeping the energy usage not only a day event but something that can be implemented in practice. Only then, a positive change will be observed. The attendees will be the source of spreading the word and serving as a magnet for others towards this noble cause for the betterment of the entire humanity as well as generations to come. Since it is a nature related event the venue must also be something connected to nature. For this reason we have selected Brisbane farmhouse as the venue. There are numerous reasons involved in the selection, the most essential being the feeling that the object they are working for must be kept before them. They must feel the environment and realize its importance. In addition to the theme comes the accessibility, it just five minutes’ walk from the powerhouse once you get there with the help of a ferry. A whole plan and map of the venue has also been displayed and explained so that the participants of the event may not have any sort of trouble in getting to the location or connecting with the theme. The place has been chosen as the preferred venue after researching different venues and assessing their suitability based on the theme. The schedule to be followed that day should be displayed so that participants can have an idea beforehand about the campaign and the seriousness it requires. But to lighten up the mood we will also be incorporating some lively events and activities to revitalize the people while keeping the overall mood of the event somber. A twelve hour program is being planned to try our best to fully educate the people. It will kick-off at eight in the morning which is considered to be a very suitable time that is neither too early nor too late. A very beautiful and energizing start is expected. A break of one hour gap will be allowed in order to allow most attendees to get all the information that will be provided. It is a very good opportunity that people will get to know each other by allowing a period for introductions. The talks and briefing will start from 9:00 am and attendees will first be given the background to the concept and the importance of it. After a detailed lecture of two hours we will then serve refreshments. Morning teas will last for an hour, after which the mood of the place will be changed with a few games that might be conceptual and helpful. Lunch will be served at 2:00 pm. After lunch there will be an interactive session in which the advantages of the campaign will be emphasized and the negative effects that will result from our current actions will be highlighted. Questions will also be taken during this session. This will provide a means to determine whether the attendees are fully in tune with the event and that the objectives are being met. After the question and answer session games will once again be used to energize the attendees. The program will culminate with dinner, after which attendees will join the rest of the world at 8:30pm in shutting off lights. More than half of the world normally participates in shutting off lights. In fact over 6,950 cities and towns in approximately 152 countries turned of their lights in observance of Earth Hour in 2012. Activities Project management techniques will be used to schedule both the preliminary and Earth Hour day event. The Tasks will be divided into several activities. As shown in the work breakdown structure (WBS) below. The major tasks above are divided into several activities. These activities could not possibly be added on the structure above and so the decision was made to prepare them separate even though they are apart of it. The WBS above shows how the work will be broken down for both the preliminary activities that will take place before the day of the event and at the event. In promoting the event the decision was made to use the internet, which is an efficient method of communicating in light of the age group being targeted. Posters will be placed in libraries, transportation centers and other public places. Leaflets and visiting different place will also be considered, the preparations include making a list of the volunteers that would be rendering there services. Apart from this we also need to consider the food and beverages that will be available to all the attendees. The activities that will encourage enthusiasm throughout the program have also been given special attention. The budget has also been given a very critical look and properly formulated to avoid any problems later on. All the materials and equipment that will be required for the event such as chairs, tables, disposable items, lightening system, candles and the costs have been taken into account. The T-shirts that will be given out as souvenirs to mark the event, equipment required for the games like the water guns are some other things which have been incorporated in the budget. Schedule of Activities A Gantt chart is a very important project management tool. It shows when activities should start and when they should finish. It also shows what activities can be done simultaneously (Imago Business Transformation, 1996). The Smart Screen project management software was employed to schedule the activities for this project. The Gantt chart in the Appendix shows how the over 70 activities for this project will be scheduled. Conclusion The concept of the entire event is oriented towards being environmentally friendly. Creating awareness is very important and with our effective lectures, research and detailed statistics and comments from the intellectuals we will be able to grab the attention of the listeners. Our motive is to create an impression as well as to leave an impact on them so that they can spread the idea as well as implement it in their daily lives. In order to facilitate a successful event we have utilized project management techniques … that will facilitate effective organization and coordination of the activities. Once the activities are monitored and steps taken to correct problems and bring the project back on track the event will be successful. References Horngren, C.T., Foster, G. and Datar, S.M. (2000). Cost accounting: A managerial emphasis. 10th ed. USA, Prentice Hall. Imago Business Transformation (1996). Glossary of project management. Retrieved from http://www.ibt.co.uk/transformation/pmg/gloss.htm. Jones, G.R., George, J.M & Hill, C.W.L. (1998). Contemporary management. USA, Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Schwalbe, K. (2009). Information technology project management. 6th ed. USA: Cengage Learning. Wysocki, R.K. (2009). Effective project management: Traditional, agile, extreme. 5th ed. USA: Wiley Publishing Inc. Appendix Read More