As part of 'Star Homes' initiative, solar panels are being installed at a house near Kamarajar Salai in Madurai.

| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Amid rising fuel prices in India, an initiative titled ‘Star Homes’, aimed at encouraging households to adopt sustainable practices and energy-conservation measures, has been introduced by an entrepreneur keen on promoting environmental sustainability and increasing green cover.Explaining the initiative, P. Rajesh Kanna, a Rotarian and member of INTACH, said the programme focuses on five key areas — water conservation, waste management, rainwater harvesting, grey water reuse and energy conservation.Measures suggested under the initiative include preventing overhead tank overflow, segregating recyclable and non-recyclable waste using separate bins, adopting rainwater harvesting systems, reusing grey water and using power-saving gadgets and solar energy to reduce electricity consumption to within 300 units per person.Households implementing all these measures would be awarded certificates of recognition, he added.Describing it as an affordable and practical initiative, he said the measures would not only help sustain energy but also offer long-term benefits to households.“I have implemented all these measures in my own house as well. What is mainly required is a small garden space to set up some of these systems,” he said.Elaborating on waste management practices, he said that despite the ban on single-use plastics, several packaged products continued to use plastic covers that were difficult to recycle.“Segregating recyclable and non-recyclable waste is important instead of dumping everything together. Kitchen and food waste can be used as manure, while non-recyclable waste can be sent for processing and utilised as fuel. This will help in effectively managing waste,” he said.He said households implementing the measures could send photographs of the installed systems, along with the names of their family members, to the contact number 94433 32292, Mr Rajesh added.The selected households would be recognised with awards in June, he added.“So far, five persons have enroled under the initiative, and we are looking forward to more people implementing these measures,” he said. Published - May 22, 2026 06:11 pm IST