Eco Friendly Diwali

The excitement and celebratory spirit associated with Diwali is unparalleled. The festival of Diwali is celebrates the victory of good over evil. The lighting of earthen lamps or diyas on a moonless night signifies the end of the darkness of ignorance.
Diwali celebrations once comprised of traditional Lakshmi pooja, lightening of diyas in the evening and family get-together. But, with the changing time the style of celebrating Diwali has changed drastically. Now, Diwali celebrations are all about electric illuminations, expensive lights and bursting of noisy fire crackers. Such celebrations can create havoc for the individual and environmental health. This change in the celebration style has imposed many negative effects on the environment. Some of the offenders are listed below:

Crackers

Firecrackers are traditionally the highlight of Diwali celebrations. These contain toxic substances such as copper, cadmium, lead, etc that are harmful to all living creatures. They tend to remain in the atmosphere for extended periods. So their harmful effects are experienced long after Diwali celebrations are over. The noise produced by crackers is also hazardous to health. Extended exposure could lead to permanent hearing loss and disturbances in sleep.

Power Consumption

Diwali is a festival of lights, so people decorate their homes by lighting them up. Electric lights are used to decorate entire homes, offices, and streets. Sometimes, these lights are left on even during the day which is sheer wastage of energy. It is sensible to switch to the traditional lamps. Even though they consume oil, these lamps are lit only for a short time.

Excessive Consumerism

An indirect impact of Diwali on nature is due to the increased consumption. Often people go out and buy redundant items. Advertisements and hoardings attract people with alluring offers like sales, buy one get one free, discount coupons etc.One should try and do their bit to nurture the environment. Here are a few tips to make this Diwali eco-friendly and still make it a delightful experience.

Use Earthen Lamps

Diwali is also known as the Festival of Lights. Instead of electric illumination, one should opt for traditional lightening of earthen lamps or diyas. They help in cutting down the enormous electric consumption. Though earthen lamps need oil, the quantity required is very less. This will help in saving electricity and also add a traditional touch with social responsibility in the festival.

Organic Gifts

This Diwali, go green and get organic gifts for your friends and family. Herbal cosmetics, special teas and coffee, spices etc. are such options. Cloth or jute wrapping can be done instead of wasting paper sheets.

Eco-friendly Crackers

Pollution level in the air shoots up drastically during Diwali, therefore instead of selecting traditional chemical crackers opt for eco-friendly crackers. Eco-friendly crackers are made up of recycled paper and the sound produced by these crackers is within defined limits.

Celebrate Together

Instead of individual celebrations we must prefer community celebrations at a common place. This will ensure reduced cost of celebration and minimal wastage of resources, as compared to individual celebration.

Shop Sensibly

The shopping list can be cut short and unwanted items must be avoided. This can be thought of as an irrelevant approach but it should be remembered that the pressure on the available natural resources increases with excessive consumerism.

Share the Joy

There are several old age homes and orphanages in every city. One can celebrate this Diwali with poor and under-privileged children. Share your Diwali crackers, sweets and happiness with poor children.

Eco-friendly Decorations

One can opt for fresh flowers and foliage to decorate the house instead of PVC. Rangolis and alpanas are traditional ways to decorate the courtyard. Place scented candles around the house to make it bright. Use of organic incense sticks in place of synthetic room fresheners is another method to save the environment.

In order to prevent dampening of the festive spirit we should make sure that the proceedings are safe, sound and eco-friendly.
कैसे बिना प्रदूषण किये मजेदार दिवाली मनाई जाए, हिंदी में पढ़ें, क्लिक करें