Visakhapatnam, July 6, 2013: The amount of energy consumed by every individual has a direct impact on global warming. The excess utilisation of water, electricity and energy and other resources irreversibly damage our planet. Therefore, it is important to take action to conserve natural resources and be the warriors to protect our mother earth and promote healthy living.

These were a few points highlighted by the students who turned up to participate in Just-A-Minute competition (Telugu and English) ‘Vanamahotsavam’ – a festival of trees organised by Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) in association with Fire and Safety Association of India at YMCA on Friday.

The three-day festival was inaugurated by district Collector V. Seshadri who encouraged the children to grow at least one tree in their lifetime to enjoy its benefits for generations.

Some 1,000 students from 120 schools across the city participated in the competition.where most of them were able to express their thoughts in a minute while others felt a little nervous to float their ideas.Social responsibility

Ntional chairperson of ISHRAE K-12 team K. Leela Prasad said “We wanted to educate younger generation on the serious consequences of global warming and help them understand the value of nurturing trees,” he said.

Director of Centre for Policy Studies A. Prasanna Kumar highlighted about three best friends one can make forever -- books, trees and bicycles.

Former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University Beela Satyanarayana, former Vice-Chancellor of Acharya Nagarjuna University V. Balamohandas, director of Sri Prakash Vidyaniketan Ch. Vasu Prakash, founder-member of Gayatri Vidya Parishad Junior College P. Raja Ganapathi and YMCA’s all-India president Williams, among others also participated in the tree plantation campaign.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 6, 2013.