Giant leap towards eliminating India’s carbon footprint

The Hindu , Sunday, April 12, 2009
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
CHENNAI: It may be a small step to change a single light bulb, but a giant leap towards eliminating India’s carbon footprint: as the first step taken by the government toward fulfilling India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change, the price of the Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) has now been reduced to Rs. 15, according to Greenpeace volunteers.

Commemorating the official launch of the city’s ‘Bachat Lamp Yojana,’ a campaign to replace 400 million incandescent bulbs with CFLs by 2012, celebrities, volunteers, and passers-by gathered at the Gandhi Statue on the Marina on Friday. Although the campaign was initiated by Greenpeace in 2007, volunteer Senthil Kumar said that only now the government had reduced the price of CFLs to Rs. 15, making these energy-efficient bulbs more affordable to the general public. Previously, the price of these bulbs started at Rs. 100.

The campaign aims at distributing 11-15 w CFLs at Rs. 15 each, in the place of 60 w and 100 w incandescent bulbs, which are the most commonly used across the country. Whereas the CFLs will not be readily available in the market just yet, Finny Gerald, Greenpeace Direct Dialogue Recruiter in Chennai, said 14 electricity supply companies from 12 States nationwide enlisted themselves with the initiative to provide these bulbs to consumers.

Mr. Kumar said the CFL bulb could last up to four times as long as an incandescent bulb, and was more environment-friendly.

Thus, by phasing out the 400 million incandescent bulbs, Greenpeace volunteers predicted India would save 10,000 MW of electricity and reduce 55 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year – the equivalent of shutting down four power plants, according to Mr. Gerald.

A supporter of Greenpeace’s efforts, Bengali actor Dhritiman Chatterjee, said this initiative provided an option to those who were environmentally conscious, but had often felt helpless with regard to taking action.

Director Vasanth, who attended the campaign, agreed that he himself takes routine steps to reduce his contribution to global warming.

“I make sure to check my tyres everyday. It’s one small thing, but I am conscious of protecting the environment,” he said.

 
SOURCE : Sunday, April 12, 2009
 


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