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How to celebrate a green Diwali: Recycle, refuse, reduce, refuel, reuse
Diwali 2018: Here are five exciting, affordable and eco-friendly ideas to help you celebrate the festival of lights. With a little patience and effort, you can minimise your energy, consumption and waste this Diwali.
Diwali is traditionally a time to relax, connect and celebrate with loved ones. Unless it’s a green Diwali you’re planning, it’s also the most wasteful, consumer-driven and stressful time. But it doesn’t have to be.
There are ways to reduce your festive impact without switching off lights or giving up on festive goodies. With a little knowledge, some family discussion and a change of focus, it’s easy to turn a few Diwali customs around.
Here are five fun ideas to help you celebrate the festival of lights, while caring for the Earth:
Reduce: Save money, gift a potted plant
Gift giving and Diwali are synonymous. But shopping for thoughtful, eco-friendly presents can be a tough task. Yet a succulent plant (or any other houseplant, you fancy) is an adorable gift no one can resist. The best part? They are one of the easiest indoor plants to keep alive. “As long as they’re kept in sunny spots, they only need to be watered about once a week in the summer and once a month in the winter,” says Anuj Mittal, a Delhi-based gifts curator.
Recycle: DIY decor that’s actually chic
A big part of the Diwali fun is in creating a festive wonderland both inside and outside your home using beautiful decorations. Here’s one way you can recycle everyday items in innovative ways to create an inviting home: Get creative with used paper cups or old mugs. Make a serious nod to eco-friendly, affordable decor with a set of funky paper cup planter/ mug/ vase hangers or tiny tabletop planters. If you want to give your Diwali lights a twist, all you need to do is find some pretty wrapping paper, glue, paper/plastic cups and stick the lights through.
Refuse: Say yes to fire cracker alternatives
‘Fireless firecrackers’ are a much quieter, flame-free and kid-friendly alternative for sensitive ears. You can make poppers with recycled bottles, balloons and confetti without adding to the already polluted air of your city. Glowsticks are another great (and cheap) alternative for night-time fun. “Even balloon fireworks are satisfyingly loud, sparkly and kid-friendly,” says Mittal.
Refuel: Watch your waste during the season of overindulgence
68% families in India spend between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 on Diwali, according to a 2017 survey by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India). Partly because of the pressure to buy: Supermarkets and malls fill up with Diwali goodies weeks before the festivities, and they all seem to be on special offer. As a result, you end up buying things you don’t intend to. To avoid a full fridge and full stomach on Diwali, Anupam Dey, a Kolkata-based dietician, says, “Be realistic about what your family will eat. If you can’t resist the ‘buy one, get one free’ deals, team with a friend or relative to share the shopping and the saving.”
Reuse: Decorate with biodegradable and reusable rangoli
Rice and pulses are a perfectly acceptable Diwali rangoli decoration choice. “Working with rangoli colours can be difficult, but rice is a much easier option. You can make coloured rice using herbal colours at home. It is easy to clean, environment-friendly and creative,” says Kolkata-based school art teacher Hrithik Bannerjee. In addition, you could also play around with your choice of stick-on gems to make “rearrangeable rangoli” that can be used year after year.
