The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Website on ‘99999’ campaign launched

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Friday, Sep 26, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Website on ‘99999’ campaign launched

Staff Reporter

Union Minister lays stress on increasing forest cover

— Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

Greening efforts: Union Minister S. Regupathy hands over ‘Office Exnora Magic Log Book’ to Mayor M.Subramanian at a function in Chennai on Wednesday. Exnora’s founder (left) M.B.Nirmal and its president Sulochana Ramaseshan are seen in the picture.

CHENNAI: Government agencies must also plant trees to increase the forest cover in the respective cities, apart from the people to prevent global warming, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests S. Regupathy said here at a function organised by Exnora International on Wednesday.

Launching the website ‘ www.99999.co.in’ aimed at campaigning against global warming, he said government departments, including the Highways and Agriculture, must involve themselves in tree planting to achieve the goal of increasing the forest or tree cover to one-third of the total area in the country.

At present, the forest cover in the country is 25 per cent and the national goal is to increase it by 2012, he said. Elaborating on the hazards of global warming, Mr. Regupathy said such initiatives would help create awareness among public. He also released ‘Office Exnora Magic Log Book’ that facilitates self audit of the energy and resources used in offices and industries.

Chennai Mayor M.Subramanian, who received the first copy of the book, spoke on the Corporation’s initiatives to manage the garbage generated in the city. Nearly Rs. 16 lakh has been collected as fine for dumping waste and debris on roads. He also stressed tree planting by residents.

Commending the Exnora’s initiative, he said awareness of impact of global warming and the need for source segregation was being created by Corporation among students in the city.

Exnora International founder M.B.Nirmal said several offices were already turning their waste into wealth, he said.

Compact discs about solutions to manage the waste were also released during the occasion.

On the Office Exnora log book, he said the office complexes and households could make use of it to reduce the carbon footprint and prevent global warming.

Coordinator of the ‘88888 lights out’ campaign Preetam Alex said that besides details about the ‘99999’ lights-out awareness campaign, the website would also have an Exnora helpline with contact details of about 80 resources persons be it tree planting or solid waste management. Exnora International president Sulochana Ramaseshan and joint general secretary R.Govindaraj participated.

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