Climate change homes & a Bangalore Company’s example

BCIL was founded in 1995 when the word ‘green’ meant no more than a colour. He is an economist who worked on watersheds for nearly a decade before launching BCIL with a mission to mainstream sustainability. BCIL has created over 2000 homes in Bangalore, Chennai and Coorg over the last two decades. As India's most awarded 'green building' company, BCIL has been the first mover on a spectrum of solutions that are beginning to find market acceptance now. The presentation at ATREE on Monday will centre around the deficits and opportunities that the future of construction presents, what BCIL has achieved over the last two decades, and what a city and other buildings can do to scale and replicate. A third part of the address will dwell on the knowledge-enabling programmes the Responcities Foundation has been offering with some success. The hope is that it will be an interactive session, with his presentation confined to about 30 mins, and with about 45 mins of questions and perspectives that all participants will throw up. This will offer insights 'beyond the script'. Please urge all participants to ask as many questions as they can to make the session productive. About the speaker He is an economist who turned to business in the mid-1980s. He has presided over projects on water, energy and green buildings for 30 years. He is the chairperson of Biodiversity Conservation India, known as Group ZED [www.zed.in] which is building nearly 5000 homes over the next five years, that have near-zero dependence on city civic infrastructure for energy, water and waste. Hariharan also spearheads Responsible Cities Foundation [www.responcities.org] which is consulting for two Smart City programmes, runs Certified Programmes with Carleton University for Facility Managers, Corporate Real Estate Professionals, and for the faculty and students of schools of architecture and Engg. He is also co-founder of The Dakshina Pinakini Trust for the revival of the river and her watershed on the eastern flanks of Bangalore, as well as a restoration plan for Devarabeesanahalli lake. He has served as Advisory for the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Development Board on a plan for sustainable water management for 27 towns in Karnataka. He has been a key player at the IGBC's National Executive to expand India’s green footprint. Much closer to home, Dr. Hariharan is on ATREE’s Board of Governors.