Eco-friendly homes gaining prominence in India
Eco-friendly homes are the way to go forward in these time of extreme climatic and environmental changes that is pervading most parts of our country. The increased frenzy of urbanisation coupled with deforestation is depleting most of our natural resources including water bodies and our green cover. It is in this context that the relevance of eco-friendly homes has gained prominence in India.
Increased Awareness
Even though at a nascent stage, it is fast gaining popularity especially in major cities across the country due to its health benefits, comfort as well as its ulterior purpose of safeguarding natural resources and employing them to optimum usage. Today, there is increasing awareness among individuals about conserving natural resources as well as lowering the carbon footprint, which is the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted by an entity. Developers on their part are pro-actively marketing their projects as eco-friendly. Due to various advantages that they provide, going for eco-friendly homes makes sense in the current scenario.
Need for choosing eco-friendly houses
The increased awareness about conserving nature as well as environment and natural resources has never been felt more than in the present context. We are facing extreme climatic conditions presently, like excruciatingly hot summers and freezing winters. Ironically, this has got to do with the greed of man, to a large extend. There is considerable increase in pollution levels in our cities with huge volumes of poisonous gases being emitted into the atmosphere due to vehicular as well as factory emissions. This has resulted in the depletion of the protective ozone layer of the atmosphere which protects us from the harmful rays of the sun.
Deforestation has also had an adverse impact on human beings in more ways than one. Besides decreasing the green cover and preventing the harmful rays of the sun from having a direct impact on humans, it has also destroyed the natural habitats of animals, forcing them from invading human settlements in villages. Moreover, by destroying trees for construction purposes, the cooling effect provided by the breeze as a result of their swaying in the wind is lost and we are left to face the wrath of hot summers. The drying of lakes, rivers and other water bodies in summer has deprived us of a precious natural resource when it is most needed. Besides, increase in mining activity has resulted in the depletion of river beds.
Benefits
Eco-friendly homes not only offer residents with quality living spaces but also saves them considerable amount of money. It has been found that such houses can lower energy consumption by 30-50 per cent and water consumption by 30-70 per cent. Besides, you can also save on power and air-conditioning. It also enables residents to harvest rain water that can be used for drinking and cooking. Waste water which is recycled can be used in the garden. Solar panels installed on the terrace of houses can be utilised to generate electricity which can be used for power consumption as well as for heating.
Eco-friendly measures
While constructing a house on a plot, it is important to keep in mind various aspects with regards to geographical features and natural parameters. While you can efficiently utilize space to create artificial elevations, it is important that you do not tamper with the natural design of the land by destroying natural elevations and hills. This will create serious repercussions in the form of soil erosion due to tampering with the natural design of the land. The same goes with cutting of trees in a plot to facilitate the construction of the house. If unavoidable, it is important to plant a few trees in vacant spots. Similarly, wells and small ponds should also be retained if they do not intrude with the construction design.
If you are constructing an individual house, it is essential to have a small garden with good landscaping. Besides, low-cost, eco-friendly construction materials can be used to give the house a natural outlook. The design of the house can be chosen so as to include minimum curves and bends. Using natural alternatives instead of cement, selection of low-carbon paint, installing a water-recycling plant, having a lawn with natural products and using low-water consuming and high-water circulating grass as some methods in building an eco-friendly house.
Besides, using antique furniture of teak and rose wood which is free from dampness, using solar panels as well as energy-efficient CLF lamps and LED bulbs, growing plants outside as well as inside the house, instalment of a treatment plant for processing household waste, the residue of which can be used as a natural fertiliser for plants as well as for producing bio-gas used as an alternative for LPG as well as reducing the usage of plastic and non-biodegradable materials are measures that can be employed to create an eco-friendly atmosphere around your house.
