Green-i to spread green ideas

16 May, 2009

Awareness of clean energy and green buildings does not seem to reach the common man in the expected way. For many, the easiest way to build a house is still using the conventional construction methods.

The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) Kerala chapter has stepped in to change this perspective. Its Green-i programme towards this end was launched in Kochi on May 9.

Shashi Tharoor, former UN official, writer and Congress candidate for Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha elections; Oscar award winner Resul Pookutty; and singer Usha Uthup are the Green-i brand ambassadors.

Only when ordinary people understand the ideas behind green concepts will they take to the new methods, says Lalichan Zacharias, chairman of the IIA Kerala chapter.

A beginning has to be made to save energy. It may be a small thing to start with — as carpooling or using the stairs instead of the lift. “We have to make people realise that these things do matter a lot,” Mr. Zacharias says.