What impresses US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? This is not the question of any quiz competition but is a true fact. Yes, Ms. Clinton is impressed to a great extent but not by India’s pragmatic and sturdy foreign policy (if there is any). She, on the contrary, has been impressed by an eco-friendly building near the Indian capital (in Delhi’s satellite town of Gurgaon) and hence, while viewing it was equated with the colossal Taj Mahal and India Gate.
“We know that there are wonderful monuments throughout India from the India Gate to the Taj Mahal. The ITC green building may not be a regular stop on the tourist calendar but it is a monument in its own right,” said an impressed Clinton.
Let us elucidate the building then. It is basically an office complex, known as the ITC Green Centre Building, by the ITC group that is into hospitality, tobacco and infotech, boasts of 100 percent water harvesting and zero percent rainwater runoff among other things.
“The monument is a building to the future. The Green Centre not only represents the promise of a green economy but it also demonstrates the partnership of India and the US in the 21st century,” she added.
Pointing towards the media, Clinton said: “As you can see, other than the lights that are for the television cameras there are no lights on. There are so many features of this building that really demonstrate the viability of the kind of low carbon but very attractive and efficient approach to saving energy.”
“If all new buildings were designed in the same standards as the ITC Green Centre is, we could eventually cut global energy use and green house pollution by more than 20 percent and save money at the same time,” she said.
“Today the Green Centre is one of the 11 buildings in India that have earned a lead partner designation, the highest designation you can get by the Green Building council,” she added.
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