1. ----
Kamal Meattle
Chief Executive Officer
Paharpur Business Centre &
GREEN BUiLDINGS....
Software Technology Incubator Park
Climate Change is happening and we from Coal based energy to Solar, Hydro, made compulsory for green areas and
are contributing to it. Nuclear, Wind or Geo thermal (the Earth's buildings.
BY now its common knowledge that temperature is more than 200 degrees Outlaw conventional lamps and
buildings account for 50% of all Green centigrade about 2,000 meters below encourage LEOs, use only 5 star air
House Gas emissions, and the building ground level). conditioners, refrigerators, electric motors,
sector makes up roughly 40% of global Clean and efficient energy transformers, washing machines, fans etc.
energy use. technologies are essential in all uses Charge a high excise duty on energy
According to the UNEP press release, including vehicles, pumps, electric motors, inefficient products and zero duty on
n... the building sector world-wide could automobiles, lighting, air-conditioning, energy efficient ones.
deliver emission reductions of 1.8 billion production of cement, steel etc. Use solar heating for water in all the
tonnes of C02. We need carbon storage, Alternative buildings.
A more aggressive energy efficiency Energy - Nuclear, Wind, Photovoltaic, Promote use of energy 'from waste. Set
policy might deliver over two billion Fuel Cells, and Bio - fuels, besides increase up gobar (cow dung) gas plants in each
tonnes, or close to three times the amount of forest cover. village and use the methane gas for cooking
scheduled to be reduced under the Kyoto Regulatory measures are a must to and the residual material as fertiliser.
Protocol promote energy efficiency in buildings. Some of the gas can also be stored to
If we are to achieve our national goal There has to be a distinct change in run a fuel-cell electric generator for
of reducing energy by 25%, we can easily the Government policy, for e.g. ECBC producing electricity at nig~t for powering
look to the 75% of India that is yet to be Code / Norms should be made mobile telephone towers; and LED and
built and make sure that the new buildings mandatory. CFL based electric lighting.
are all Energy efficient and Green The Government should offer Encourage lifestyle change, keep
certified- IGBC or TERI GRIHA or BEE atttactive rebates in the form of a special temperarure in offices at 25 degrees C + or -
Energy Star rated. "Green Discount! Rebate" in House Tax, I degree, and do awaywith wearing neckties
IGBC Green building Council on buildings that are at least or better than in offices in summer. Let the colour of green
(lGBC) registered projects both in the IGBC / USGBC Gold or TERI Griha 3 be white: encourage the use of white colour .
Government as well as private sector of Star + or BEE 4 star + rated. roofs and facades and white colour vehicles,
over 400 Million ft2. Special Incentives should be given to as they reflect light and heat.
However compared to the potential, promote the existing buildings going green As responsible people we should take
we still have a long way to go. - after all these are the structures that insurance and do what we need to do now
Water, Energy, Wa~te Management guzzle on power and energy and need to be and not any later.
together with Indoor Air Quality are very retrofitted to become efficient buildings. We need to collaborate on a much
important verticals in any building and we Water could pose a larger threat than larger scale and more aggressively organize
to
need to stress on health and quality of e~ergy. the fast growing real estate and constNction
indoor air more than we have in the past. Solutions lie in better management of industry / sector because we have got a real
Conservation and sustainable water resources. opporrunity to make a difference on a
development strategies should be Our policies should include efficient meaningful scale - an opporrunity to realize
attempted and encouraged to curb the water usage and reduction of water wastage the Mahatma's saying,"Bet the Change you
climate change impact. in transmission. want to see in the world".
We can reduce emissions by switching Similarly, water harvesting should be
Vol.II,Issue-II, 2010. NationalRealty 31
July-September