Kerala - Kochi   

City wakes up to the need for energy conservation

— Photo: Vipin Chandran

TO SAVE THE EARTH: Candles come aglow on Durbar Hall Grounds on Saturday at 8.30 p.m. marking Earth Hour ‘09.

Kochi: The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-initiated Earth Hour ’09 from 8.30 p.m. on Saturday turned out to be a tad ritualistic in the city, in that it was marked by high voltage speeches on energy conservation and awareness campaigns but not many practical measures . The silver lining, however, was that it left the city a little wiser on the dire need to conserve energy and contain atmospheric pollution.

The biggest of the local Earth Hour events was organised by the Junior Chamber International Cochin together with the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE), Kochi Regional Centre, and the Society of Energy Engineers and Managers (SEEM) on Durbar Hall Ground.

The programme, peppered with fusion music; a documentary on global warming; and ‘save nature’ pledge-taking, had the participants light candles once all lights were switched off to mark the hour.

The chief guest of the event, High Court judge Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan, in his address, called upon everyone to practise judicious energy management in order to ward off the threat of climate change and its consequences.

R. Venugopal, controller of explosives, Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation, Kochi and chairman, IIChE regional centre, used statistics and poetry to describe the impending peril. The Fertilisers And Chemical Travancore Limited chairman and managing director George Sleeba; deputy chief controller of explosives, C.R. Surendranathan, and senior officials of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil and Travancore Cochin Chemicals took part in the event.

Efforts made by firms such as Binani Zinc Limited; schools like Toc H Public School; voluntary organisations like the Association for Environmental Protection, Aluva; Union of Residents’ Associations, Aluva; nature clubs and individuals in observing the hour made the occasion more meaningful.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Token system for reservation
Music concert by art centre
Kerala Congress(B) leaders quit party
A break from academics for them
Rahman to kick off global tour on May 3
Idol stolen from Adi Sankara temple
Kozhikode Corporation to pay for acquired land
Talent hunt
Training for poll officials
City wakes up to the need for energy conservation
High Court faults police on breath analyser test
BJP candidate tours Pachalam, Vaduthala
EPF adalat on April 8
Land acquisition problems delaying Mulavukad project
Kochi Today

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu