Make This Ganpati The Most Green One Yet!
Everyone knows Ganesh Chaturthi is one of India’s most exuberantly celebrated festivals, particularly in Maharashtra. 10-days long, the revelry involves decorating Ganesha idols at home, cooking delicious food, pumping out loud music in the streets, and of course the pièce de résistance; the immersion of the idol on the last day. However, as we celebrate Ganpati, we often forget how our activities harm the environment. In 2018, Ketto believes it’s time to really unearth some serious eco-consciousness. Here is your cheatsheet to celebrating the holiday in a sustainable way.
1.Use eco-friendly idols: Ditch Ganesha idols made of chemicals, plaster of Paris, plastic and thermocol and opt for natural biodegradable materials like clay and papier mache instead. Biodegradable materials do not pollute the water or the surroundings after immersion.
2.Sweet & Small: Big idols take up a lot of room and take time to dissolve in water. So, don’t keep an idol more than 5 feet tall. Huge idols also consume more persistent organic pollutants (POPs) for their construction, and POPs are definitely harmful to the environment. Bigger idols also cause traffic congestion.
3. Save energy: We all love the fairy lights and bright incandescent bulbs. But they are a waste of energy and are expensive too. Replace these with compact fluorescent lights (CFL) as they save electricity and your money. You could wrap coloured transparent papers on the bulbs to give a dramatic look.
4. Keep your colours ‘au naturel’: Use biodegradable colours such as turmeric, henna, rice powder, coloured dal and gulaal to make rangoli. These colours are eco-friendly and safe.
5. Cut the noise: Avoid playing loud music which can cause disturbance in your society. Try playing instruments that are soft and soothing. Loudspeakers create noise pollution and can seriously hinder the workings of hospitals, schools, and your neighbours. Make sure to turn off the music at a reasonable time and conform to the rules. And say no to fireworks as well!
6. Ban plastic: There is a lot of delicious food served at home during Ganpati. Skip plastic and serve food in natural plates such as banana leaves instead. You can use cloth bags to carry prasad and other offerings as they can be reused later.
7. Burst Hunger in Place of Crackers: The festival season as we know it in India, has become a season of excess. The gift-wrapped packages making their way across the city are getting bigger even as more courses are being added to our feasts. In this land of stark contrasts, wasteful habits become more pronounced during festivities, while those less fortunate are barely able to scrape one square meal a day. But organizations like Ketto have recognized the potential of turning our excess into valuable resources, particularly in dealing with major societal issues like hunger.
Ketto & feeding for the needy
Since its inception, Ketto has been a champion of the ‘Equality For All’ vision for India and has consequently been a strong proponent of ending hunger in this country. Click on the links below to view crowdfunding projects Ketto has been involved with for feeding the impoverished. If you feel inspired, you can perhaps start your own project with Ketto as well.
Ketto Blog remains committed to inspiring and compelling social change to India’s most pressing problems through the power of great stories and engaging our audiences to take meaningful action.
