News - Live green, build green

by Life Positive

Resources such as ground cover, forests, water and energy are depleted to construct and operate these buildings, not to mention for their maintenance and beautification. But rarely do people realise that these hi-tech controls and comfort measures create just an 'inanimate' building. A building can, instead, be in tune with nature by generating minimum waste.


Unsheathing the power of green Though it costs a little more to design and construct a green building, it is a proven fact that it costs much less to operate it. It also has tremendous environmental benefits, besides making it comfortable for occupants to live and work in.

One such building, the Siruthuli Noyyal Life Centre, Coimbatore, was recently inaugurated by Mr DR Kaarthikeyan, former director, Central Bureau of Investigation and president of Life Positive.

“No other generation had abused, misused, exploited and depleted the earth as the present generation,” said Mr. Kaarthikeyan on the occasion, pointing out the very real prospect of severe water shortage in the future.

Stating facts, he pointed out that in 1951 the per capita water availability was 6,000 litres. Now it is around 2,000 and may soon reach 1,400, leaving 100 crore people all over the world without access to drinking water.

The green building has been built on the sound principles of an environment-friendly structure and will not only be powered by wind and solar energy, it will also use the power innate in rain water.

The building is the brainchild of Siruthuli, an NGO started by locals, when Coimbatore was hit by a severe water crisis in 2002-03. The NGO which has been functioning since the last eight years was primarily set up to clean up the Noyyal river and will ensure that there is a surplus water supply to the city henceforth.

They have also vowed to plant about 1.5 million saplings, involving school children in the project. Siruthuli is also involved in solid water management and in developing low-cost sewage water treatment plant in the city.