India to have 15 green buildings by '05

India will have 15 green buildings by the end of 2005. It already has one of the three highest rated green buildings in the world "" the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre "" that received the highest platinum green rating last year. The other three green buildings are slated to be ready by the year-end.

S Raghupathy, head of CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, disclosed this at a media briefing here. He said that CII was actively promoting the best practices in green-building that aim at transforming the industries into sustainable enterprises.

CII also conducts green audit and found that several companies had seen their costs recede and productivity improve following adoption of green technologies.

Companies like Lakshmi Machine Works, Wheels India and Godrej Soaps had realised savings to the tune of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 60 lakh following eco-efficiency measures, he said.

CII has recently conducted a study on eco-efficiencies of 20 small-scale and medium industries in Andhra Pradesh and the cumulative savings for these companies accrued from green technologies and practices crossed Rs 60 lakh, Raghupathy added.

CII is planning to hold its second Green Business Summit here from September 21-23. The theme of the conference is 'Resource Sustainability "" Closing The Materials Loop'. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are partnering with CII to conduct this event.

This is the first time that Unido is assisting in the conduct of such a conference.

G V Prasad, chairman of Green Business Summit 2004, said that the meet would focus on effective use of raw materials and other resources for sustainable improvement in production and productivity besides reduction in costs through recycling and reuse of raw materials.