Earth Hour Lights-Off at the Topp

In November 2019, I was among the privileged few at the grand opening of Toppen Shopping Centre, an anchored-by-IKEA shopping centre linked to IKEA Tebrau, the only IKEA store outside the Klang Valley.

Lights-Off at the Topp for Earth Hour 2021

I have been back to Toppen numerous times with stopovers at IKEA Tebrau to shop and often dined at its restaurant and café.

This time I was back again to celebrate Earth Hour 2021 at the Topp, the rooftop space of Toppen that was designed with the community in mind.

For Toppen’s ongoing Go Green efforts, the mall was recognised as the LEED Core & Shell 2009 Platinum Certified Winner, which was awarded on 28 July 2020.

A showcase of recycled material at the 
Event Piazza of the Topp

Inspired by its Scandinavian roots, Toppen was designed with a clean and spacious layout that takes good advantage of natural light.

By harnessing energy from solar panels installed on the roof, the mall aims to be more energy efficient.

With its open design concept, the Topp uses natural light while adjusting lighting and power accordingly by using their Intelligent Building Management System.

Educational information on how to
reuse, reduce and recycle for income

Because Toppen has a long-term commitment to care for the people and the planet, rainwater is even collected for reuse in the mall.

At the Topp, there are covered and alfresco areas with a range of cafés and eateries for food and beverage while visitors may enjoy activities at the Rooftop Garden, Active Zone and Family Zone.

A scrumptious seafood meal at Fish & Co, who pride themselves for serving the Best Fish & Chips in Town, kicked off our Earth Hour evening.

Then our group was escorted from Level One of Toppen to the Event Piazza at the Topp where an exhibition was held to create awareness and to showcase recycled products.

NGO Cerebral Palsy Johor was among the
partners for the Earth Hour event at the Topp
 

This year, Toppen partnered with IKEA Tebrau, NGO Cerebral Palsy Johor, SWM Environment and SWCorp to present a host of activities with the public to inform and educate on the benefits of recycling and ways to protect our environment.

It was good to see families with young children among the visitors here as this event aims to create a positive impact on shoppers, tenants and the local community.

Among the activities arranged in this theme were Recycle Centre Day by SWCorp and SWM Environment, a Kids Colouring, Art & Craft Workshop, movie screening, Fitness Zumba, an acoustic band performance and of course, Lights-off for Earth Hour at 8.30pm.

Fairy lights in balloons light up the semi darkness

Earth Hour was started by the World Wildlife Fund in Sydney when WWF encouraged people to turn off their lights for one hour in 2007, to support action on climate change.

Since then, millions of people all around the world have taken part in Earth Hour where landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building, the Colosseum and Edinburgh Castle have gone dark for an hour.

Earth Hour is now an annual tradition where people switched off their lights on March 27 for one hour from 8.30pm to spread awareness about climate change and sustainability.

The acoustic band provided live music 
entertainment at Lights-Off at the Topp

As the Topp is the first-of-its-kind community hub in this region, it is also the ideal setting for Earth Hour 2021 in Toppen.

After all, Earth Hour aims to bring people together and encourage them to share the common goal of creating an eco-friendly future for all.

While the three-piece acoustic band entertained us with cool jazzy music, the organisers prepared everyone for the countdown to 8.30pm when the lights in the Event Piazza would be turned off.

It was a meaningful and memorable
Earth Hour 2021 at the Topp

Just turning the lights off for one hour may not count for much but it was significant for families, both the youngsters and parents, to understand the concept and start to adopt a lifestyle with includes reusing, reducing and recycling things.

With the many ups and downs that happened in the last more-than-365 days of limited movement during the lockdowns, it was good to sit in the semi-darkness for silent contemplation as the music and lyrics of Heal the World reminded us of our role and responsibility to make this world a better place.

All too soon the hour was over.

Facade of Stars Archery at Toppen

Our group was then ushered into Stars Archery nearby for an exciting experience with bow and arrows to round off our evening at Toppen.

Archery is a competitive sport that requires skills and discipline, as the coach explained in his briefing.

Then each participant geared up with an arm guard and finger glove before taking a turn at the gallery to shoot arrows at the targets, guided by a personal coach.

Participants guided by personal coaches at
the shooting gallery in Stars Archery

Star Archery is an established brand with outlets at various malls throughout the nation and recently opened at Toppen.

Thank you Toppen for a meaningful and memorable Lights-off at the Topp, Earth Hour event 2021.

Toppen Shopping Center is at Jalan Harmonium, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Baru. Open from 10am to 10pm.