A book on energy conservation for children titled Why Should I Save Energy? written by Abhas Bhardwaj was released at the India Habitat Centre, recently.
Published by The Energy and Resources Institute Press, the book introduces children to various forms of energy, history of fossil fuels, great scientists and their inventions, and more importantly, to the problems our planet faces with a steady depletion of natural resources. The entire layout has a fun, relaxed feel to it.
Bhardwaj says, “Kids start studying about energy in Class 6. In the present context, when pollution, greenhouse effect and global warming have started affecting our lives, it’s very important for kids to have a proper knowledge of the topic. For saving energy, kids primarily need to know about the contribution of efficiency, sufficiency and sustainability. The idea was to inculcate good habits in kids, so that they grow into responsible human beings.”
A lot of examples and colourful illustrations, and activity columns after every chapter for the kids to solve, have been used in the book to help build a context.
“We have taken a case study of a girl, who interacts and talks about different things related to energy with her father. And her father explains the difference between the things earlier and now. We have followed the same storyline throughout the book because kids relate quickly to other children,” says Bhardwaj, who works in a market research firm.
The book is for children above eight years of age. On being asked the reason for writing a book on such a topic, he says, “Science as a subject has always been very close to my heart. I am happy to help people, even if its in a minor way, to understand the good usage and bad usage of energy.”
About the initiative, Ajay Mathur, Director-General, TERI, says, “Conservation and energy efficiency are both the need of the hour and only energy-literate citizens can bring about such a change.”