Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu exhorts people to go for eco-friendly constructions instead of expanding the “concrete jungles” as there is a pressing need to shift focus from “gray growth” to “green growth.”

Participating in the inauguration of The Earth Center – Vista Spaces, a premium LEED Platinum-certified commercial office and co-working space located at Whitefield in Bengaluru along with his Karnataka counterpart D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday, Mr. Naidu said buildings should not be resource-heavy and that climate change was already a daunting challenge to be faced collectively.

Keeping these things in mind, everyone should make a contribution to the protection of environment by adopting a net-zero approach in the construction of buildings. He called for according high priority to harnessing the potential of solar power, conserving water and converting waste into wealth to the extent possible.

Mr. Naidu noted that The Earth Center had been built keeping current environmental challenges in mind and such buildings represent the future. “Urban expansion has been driven by gray infrastructure,” he observed.

Andhra Pradesh was playing a key role in the national green energy transition, he said, adding that Amaravati was being developed as an eco-friendly city with a futuristic vision.