Celebrate an Eco-Friendly Diwali This Year

Festival of lights, sweets, and firecrackers - Diwali, India’s major and most popular festival is around the corner!!! A festival that commemorates the victory of good over evil. It's time to shop, decorate homes, and get ready for the biggest celebration of the year.

But with the increasing pollution concerns and global warming threats around the world, it’s time to stop for a while and re-think, “Is it worth celebrating Diwali?’ Today, Diwali has synonyms with noise, crackers, and air pollution. It is high time we should think about celebrating green Diwali. But how to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali? Keep reading to know:

Ways to Celebrate Green Diwali 

With the government having been initiating to reduce pollution during Diwali celebrations, we as citizens must pay deep attention to ensuring the proper implementation during the Diwali festival. A festival that used to be celebrated with traditional diyas and homemade sweets has now changed to noisy crackers and splurging. 

It is not only harming the environment but also is putting a question mark on an individual's health. Though we wouldn’t want to spoil our Diwali vibes, here we are explaining some of the best green Diwali ideas that will help you save the environment and enjoy the festival to the fullest. Take a look:

What is Green Diwali?

You must be thinking, “What is green Diwali?”. In simple words, green Diwali is a way of celebrating the festival of lights by ensuring minimum damage to the environment especially due to firecrackers. 

The bursting of firecrackers not only causes pollution but is also detrimental to the health of people. Due to air pollution, many people suffer from different types of pollution-related ailments during this festive season.

Now the question is, how to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali? Here are a few ways to celebrate Diwali in a green and clean manner. Take a look:

1. Decorate Homes With Clay Diyas/Earthen Lamps

This year, instead of decorating your homes with plastic diyas, LED lights, or fancy candles, celebrate eco-friendly Diwali with clay diyas or earthen lamps which consume oil for producing light and are easily available in the market. 

Alos Read: Five Magic Days of Diwali

This way, you won’t only help save the environment & electricity but also potters whose livelihood depends on selling these clay diyas. The most favourable thing about using traditional diyas is that they can be used after years as well as get easily decomposed without harming the environment.

Pro Tip: 

• These earthen lamps are available in beautiful patterns & shapes. Or you can also paint them in vibrant colours or traditional designs. 

• You can also use old glassware by painting them and wrapping fairy lights around them.
  
  

2. Buy Green Crackers 

The Supreme court has banned many kinds of firecrackers as it is hazardous to the environment and people’s health. The Nitrous Oxide emitted from these crackers gets released into the air and disperses with strong winds. But Diwali is incomplete without crackers, especially for children.

So, to keep the bursting joy and combat the situation of maintaining the livelihood of those depending on the cracker industry, various certified brands have introduced Green crackers in the market. They are eco-friendly and safe for the environment. The fumes from these firecrackers have a less harmful effect on an individual's health. Green crackers examples include flower pots, pencils, sparklers, maroons, bombs, chakkar, etc. 

Pro Tip: You can also opt for seed crackers to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali, a perfect alternative to these firecrackers, especially for Covid-19 patients. These seed crackers burst into plants without any health hazards.

3. Natural Colours for Rangoli

Beautiful & colourful rangoli designs are an intricate part of Diwali celebrations which not only adds festive vibes but also signifies the importance of colours in the festivities. But generally, the colour powder we use is made from structured polymers such as acid, mica, glass powder, alkalis, etc. These substances are non-biodegradable and unhealthy when inhaled. 

Opting for organic/natural colours this Diwali is one of the best green Diwali ideas. These colours are simply extracted using natural ingredients such as flowers, rice powder, cloves/cinnamon, turmeric, etc. They are not harmful to health as well as biodegradable. Age-old but gorgeous!! 

4. Say No To Plastic Gift Wrappings 

This Diwali, exchange happy green Diwali wishes through gifts wrapped in your old sarees or fancy fabrics instead of glossy plastic wrappers. Plastic is a non-biodegradable waste and harmful to the environment.

Instead, use biodegradable bags. By doing this, you can add a personalized touch to your gifts as well as save the environment. You can also opt for painted newspapers to give your gifts a customized look.

5. Save Electricity Consumption

Home decoration is a vital part of the entire Diwali celebration. People decorate their homes with fancy lights, and lamps that consume electricity. If you are looking for ways how to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali, you can improvise your decoration by opting for solar decoration lights available in the market. If you are using lights, make sure they are LED or include traditional clay diyas or earthen lamps.

6. Compostable Tableware

Diwali is a festival that brings love, and affection among people. People welcome their friends and family to their homes and offer food, sweets & beverages to have fun together. Here, serving & distributing food in compostable tableware is one of the easiest & unique ways to exchange eco-friendly Diwali messages. 

This year, celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali by using clay serving pots, plates & bowls made with plant fiber, or recycled paper.

7. Home Made Sweets

Though the market is filled with a range of tempting, delicious, and countless sweet options, mostly these sweets carry artificial colours & high sugar content. So, this year, celebrate green Diwali with homemade sweets. This will save you from swallowing artificial colours and keep track of your weight. You can use products like milk, jaggery, coconut, and dry fruits to make your sweets nutritious & yummy.

Wrapping Up

So, now you know how to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali without harming the environment or compromising your festive mood. It is all about utilizing the traditional principles of sustainability ie. recycle, renovate, and reinvent. Let’s not damage the environment to enjoy a few hours of celebrations. Apply these green Diwali ideas this year and contribute towards safe surroundings. Happy eco-friendly Diwali!!