AWARENESS: Students taking out a rally in Madurai on Wednesday. MADURAI: Think of a life sans electricity bill. Think of a world without greenhouse gases. "It is no utopia. Come, we will tell you the measures to be adopted to pass on a wealthy and prosperous earth to the next generation.' This was the message an exhibition at OCPM Girls Higher Secondary School that displayed scientific models highlighting the importance of non-conventional and renewable energy sources conveyed to students on Wednesday. The expo showcased students' power, knowledge and concern for society and environment, which is slowly losing its wealth in the form of charcoal, oil and electricity. They also stressed the importance of environment-friendly non-conventional or renewable energy sources at the exhibition organised as part of the Renewable Day Celebration which is being observed since 2004 commemorating the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. The sun gave out huge kilocalories that went unused and, similarly, use of 2000 KV power through wind energy could save four million tonnes of coal, said K. Sabitha of PKN Girls Higher Secondary School. She also pointed to a chart on usage of coal, oil and electricity. Between 1980- 85, energy consumption through coal was 94 million tonnes while oil and electricity accounted for 32 million tonnes and 221 billion units respectively. It went up manifold in a few years and stood at 450 million tonnes through coal, 94 million tonnes through oil and 919 billion units between 2004 and 2005. She also listed out how human beings could use solar, wind, nuclear, geo-thermal and tidal energy and liquid hydrogen and bio-diesel for energy consumption and they did not pollute the environment. A four-member team of Noyes Matriculation Higher Secondary School displayed how piezoelectric crystal could generate electricity. It also explained that with every form of energy, even walking, could be used as a form of energy with the use of the crystals that would cost around Rs.500. Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Melur, tried to find a solution for apartment houses that used electricity even during day time. S.M. Sikander Sultani, G. Saranya Devi and R. Narmatha jointly explained that the use of a reflector, rotating reflector, optical fibre and solar cell panel installed on top of the building would not only garner solar energy that went unused but also minimise the use of electricity. VHN Higher Secondary School students explained with simple experiments how petrol and kerosene discharged carbon particles that caused damage to the ozone layer while how bio-diesel derived from Jatropha was environment-friendly. Sourashtra Boys Higher Secondary School concentrated on how energy created by cycling could be used for using electronic equipment such as television. Fatima College students focussed on solar energy while Lady Doak College presented tips to minimise electricity consumption at home and industry, use of solar energy and use of double-glazing with argon gas and florescent bulbs. EMG Yadava College for Women spoke about hydrogen fuel cell as a source of energy. Around 25 exhibits were on display. In the function held at the school, the District Collector, S. S. Jawahar, distributed prizes to 22 students who had won prizes in elocution, poetry, slogan and drawing competitions organised to mark Renewable Energy Day. Earlier, National Service Scheme volunteers from city schools organised a rally from Tamukkam to Collectorate. To mark the occasion, human chains and rallies were organised in 15 blocks. Essay, elocution and drawing competitions were also organised at the block-level and 135 prizes were distributed. The Additional Collector, Anshul Mishra, and the Chief Educational Officer, R. Pandurangan, participated.