Diwali is a festival of lights, love, and brotherhood. Bursting crackers, wearing traditional clothes, and lighting our home are the essences of the Diwali celebration. Not to forget, Diwali is the occasion for exchanging gifts and wishing the best for everyone around us.
We often forget about the main source of our existence and well-being- Nature. Hence, keeping in mind the value of mother earth, let’s make this Diwali eco-friendly and take some small yet impactful steps to make it environmentally safe.
1. Use Green crackers
According to CSIR, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEER), green crackers are fireworks that are made of smaller shell size, less raw materials or additives, and have no ash. The green crackers are devoid of substances like barium nitrate, carbon, or any other hazardous material. Green crackers are made up of potassium nitrate and aluminum which are a hundred times safer than the raw materials used in traditional firecrackers. Hence, using the new crackers category is the foremost step towards celebrating a joyful yet safe Diwali.
According to the report, Green crackers emit 30 percent less pollution than traditional ones. And also make hardly 110 decibels of noise while the regular ones make 160 decibels which is a lot for our environment to take.
How to check the quality and identify green crackers?
You can easily identify this type of cracker by seeing the very prominent CSIR logo. And the scanner can be easily downloaded with an app- CSIR NEERI Green QR code app
2. Use flowers instead of colours for making Rangoli
Flowers are nature’s gift. We can use this nature’s gift to make our world a safe place. We would recommend you use natural alternatives like flower petals instead of harmful chemical colours. Not only chemical colours are harmful to the environment but also your overall health.
According to Dr. Sudhakar, a renowned skin specialist and surgeon, rangoli colors can cause behavioral problems, hypertension, vision problems, and even mental retardation in some individuals. On the other hand, flowers are recyclable as well as visually appealing when it comes to decoration. Petals of Daisy, Rose, Jasmine, and Kanakambara are the best options for making rangoli for any festival
3. Lighten up your homes and bring a smile on someone’s face by buying diyas
Use diyas at this festival for lightening your home. These Diyas are mostly made of cow dung. Not only are diyas auspicious for the Diwali festival but also hundred percent renewable. People were usually fond of clay diyas. However, later it was discovered that clay and terra cotta are slowly and gradually eroding the soil of the earth. Additionally, buying ideas from small business owners will help in increasing their sales this season and hence lightening their homes as well as faces.
4. Say No to plastic
Whether it is decoration or serving utensils, ditch the plastic and use biodegradable material for all your festival needs. If you live in South India, use plant leaves like our ancestors or compostable cutlery made of polylactic acid if you belong to the north. As far as decoration is concerned, nothing can be better than flowers, especially Marigold aka Genda Phool. Using recyclable materials in festivals will help us in making our country green and a safer place to live in.
5. Spread brotherhood
As we all know, Diwali encourages a sense of brotherhood. Hence, celebrate Diwali with the community. Include everyone in your celebration. Share food to avoid waste and spread love. Don’t hesitate to exchange gifts wrapped in newspapers. Wear more eco-friendly clothes. Sit and plan with each other on how to make this Diwali more joyfully green.
1. Share means of transport – The best means of transport are electrical vehicles. However, if you don’t have that, try sharing cabs and means of transport with your family and friends. This meaningful step will help in controlling air pollution. As we all know, staying home during the big festival is nearly impossible. However, sharing cars and bikes can help us greatly from the repercussions of vehicle usage.
2. Buy less, make more – No festival in the world feels complete without food and so is Diwali. Instead of buying food, try homemade food especially raw vegan ones for small snack breaks. Eating healthy natural food items will not only keep you healthy and hearty but also create less waste for the environment.
3. Consider a donation – Last but not least, the donation deed is the best way of celebrating any festival. Share food and clothes with the less fortunate. Don’t just throw away tents after use. Donate these tents to the people living roadside and Offer food, old blankets, or anything that can lighten up their faces and save the environment from wastage and ruin.
Diwali is India’s one of the grandest festivals that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Let’s kill the environmental evil (pollution & waste) together with eco-friendly products and make this world a much better place to live in.
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