UK Environment Fellowship films premiered in capital

New Delhi, Jun 06 (UNI) World premier of four Indian films produced under the UK Environment Film Fellowships (UKEFF), 2007 was held here on the occasion of the World Environment Day.

The films-- 'A Light Burns', 'Building a Green Future', 'In their Elements' , and 'The Future Beneath our Feet'-- introduced by Dr Rajendra Pachauri, focus on energy efficiency and conservation.

'A Light Burns' by Miriam Chandy Menacherry is about more than half of India's 138 million rural households which are beyond the reach of grid electricity. The film follows the ups and downs of a community in rural India determined to bring light into their lives by producing bio-diesel from locally grown oil seeds.

'Building a Green Future' by Sashi Sivramkrishna shows the efforts towards energy conservation in our built environment, both residential and at the workplace. From the design of open basements that harness sunlight, natural ventilation systems, use of materials like soil-stabilised blocks and laterite, and earth tunnels for air-conditioning, the film tells us how some buildings in India were making a difference.

'In their Elements' by Inder Kathuria records how the solar-wind hybrid system was bringing about happy changes in two remote mountain villages of Lahaul-Spiti and how it can help change lives all along the higher Himalayas.

'The Future Beneath our Feet' by Praveen Singh film explores the yet untapped geothermal energy resources of the country, their potential and the need to harness this clean energy source to meet India's power needs without adding onto carbon dioxide emissions.

Speaking on the occasion yesterday, British Acting High Commissioner Creon Butler said, ''The films being premiered today provide a glimpse of the immense possibilities that await us in our quest for alternative energy sources. They look at the way green buildings, geothermal energy, solar-wind hybrid systems and bio-diesel from locally grown oil seeds have changed lives. With sky-high crude oil prices and the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent global warming, the time is now ripe to tap these energy sources and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.'' He said climate change was not just an environmental issue, it was a social, economic and security issue.

''I am very pleased to announce that we will be launching a further round of film fellowships on a related topic this year. We will be announcing the details later this summer.'' UNI NAZ BDP BD1555