25 schools in TN reduced electricity bills by 2/3: TN Climate Change Mission

CHENNAI: Twenty-five schools that are part of the state government’s green school programme, have reduced their electricity bills by two-thirds in the last month, Vivek Kumar Parasnath Yadav, assistant mission director at the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission has said.

He was addressing a gathering during the ICC Sustainability Conclave ‘Sustainability, Beyond Just a Slogan’ for the Hospitality Industry and Awards 2025, organised here on Saturday.

Speaking about the state’s role in addressing the climate change issue, he said 197 schools across the state were identified to convert into green schools, with 25 schools already implementing activities. “They have reduced two-thirds of their electricity bills (approximately) by installing solar panels on their school campuses,” he said.

He said they are also in the process of identifying another 200 schools for the programme.

Climate change is real and poses significant challenges to the state’s developmental aspirations, he said, noting the state has come up with four important missions, including the We Land Mission, Green Tamil Nadu Mission, and Shore Mission.

He also mentioned that they have recently conducted sustainability workshops for builders and residents’ welfare associations in 21 municipal corporations, in addition to organising a climate change summit.

Srutanjay Narayanan, joint director, e-governance, said TN has one of the robust greening initiatives and it has been working closely with the forest department. Every district in the state has its own nursery and its mandate is to grow six-foot-tall saplings, he said, adding they have a nursery in Villupuram district with over 10 lakh saplings started with the support of CSR.

These days, almost all the roads laid in the state have a certain percentage of non-recyclable plastic, and even villages have e-vehicles, he said, pointing out that the state is moving towards sustainability.

The hospitality sector, one of the largest employers in the country, contributes significantly to the nation’s GDP. It contributes only 2 per cent of global carbon emissions, said Shivkumar Eashwaran, chairman – ICC, TN State Council.

“With the target to reduce this emission per room by 66 per cent by 2030 and 90 per cent by 2050, leading hotel chains are setting ambitious goals to attain sustainability,” he added.

A survey in 2020 revealed most Indian luxury travellers are willing to pay extra for eco-friendly accommodations. As per the Indian Accommodation Barometer, 46 per cent of Indian hoteliers are invested in energy efficiency management, while 45 per cent prioritise waste reduction, Eashwaran said.

Sustainability also makes financial sense, with energy-efficient practices leading to a 20 to 25 per cent reduction in costs, he added.