'Eco-friendly habits not contradictory to comfortable living'

Stressing that there was no contradiction between adopting eco-friendly habits and being able to follow a comfortable lifestyle, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar today urged students to be actively involved in protecting the environment.
Addressing students on the occasion of Children's Day, Javadekar said that there was a need to adopt habits and attitudes which are mindful of the earth and environment.
"There is a need to adopt small steps like switching off lights and other devices when not in use in order to save energy," Javadekar said.
"There is no contradiction between adopting such environmentally-friendly habits and the ability to lead a comfortable lifestyle," he said. He was addressing students of Chowgule Public School and the School of Planning and Architecture.

Javadekar said that children in school should be made aware of the origins of daily-use items like milk, paper, etc. -- the production processes, people involved in it and the impact these have on the environment.
The students were also given a presentation on the features of the New Paryavaran Bhawan on the occasion followed by a conducted tour of the building.

"We have started a new campaign to showcase Paryavaran Bhawan, which houses the Environment Ministry, as to how to protect the environment.
"This will create curiosity among the students and they will learn how to save energy, water, natural resources and live an environmentally-friendly life. Everyday for two hours, there will be a conducted tour of this building," he said.

The New Paryavaran Bhawan is a 'Green Building' with state -of-the-art amenities and an 'Intelligent Building Management System' which optimises energy consumption.
It holds the unique distinction of being a "net zero energy" building, with 100 per cent on-site power generation and also provides for 40 per cent savings in electricity and 55 per cent savings in water with zero discharge.
It is the first building in the government sector with the highest green rating -- the 5-star GRIHA rating, and Platinum LEED India rating.