Environment-conscious citizens do their bit

VADODARA: In a symbolic gesture, environment-conscious people switched off their lights between 8.30 pm and 9.30 pm to observe 'Earth Hour' on Saturday evening across the world. The gesture was meant to focus attention on global warming and to stress on energy conservation. But, there are individuals who instead of symbolism have adopted energy conservation in their day to day life 24x7 and 365 days a year.
During the last four years, people crossing over Shastri Bridge may have noticed five small windmills installed in a row. The windmills, which are actually a wind-solar-hybrid installation, and reportedly the only one of its kind in Vadodara, were installed by environmentalist Kirit Amin, on top of his cold storage unit and are used to light up 100 LED lights on the premises.
"LED lights bring down the energy consumption by half as compared to the cost incurred by even CFL bulbs," Rohit Prajapati of NGO Paryavaran Surakhsha Samiti said. He has switched over completely to LED lights powered by solar power in his home at Patrakaar Colony in Tandalja. Over the last 10 years, he and his activist wife Trupti Shah have installed solar panels of 50 watt power, which run their light bulbs, fans and laptop and charge their phones in their five-room house, which also has an office on the first floor. "Our average electricity bill is of Rs 900 for two months," the couple said.
To install LED lights, both Kirit and Prajapati took the help of Narmada district-based Vishven Soneji, a young environmentalist and entrepreneur who tinkered with a solar lantern repair worker and accessed internet to discover ways of using LED lights as bulbs within the house.
Michael Mazgaonkar and Swati installed a 40-ft high windmill near their house in Mozda village in Narmada district, which produces 4-5 units of power every day during summers and meets all their electricity needs.