Lights are here! Sweets are here!
Crackers (gulp!) are here!
Diwali is here!
Amidst all the hullabaloo, can we spare a few moments to ensure that we try and make as sustainable a Diwali as possible? Here are a few ideas for a more environmentally friendly Diwali (or any celebration)!
- Gift sustainably. If you haven’t already bought all your gifts, try and see if you can pick up something made of sustainable materials. Most traditional handicrafts are sustainable, and beautiful, to boot! If you’ve already bought your gift, keep this in mind for your next gifting opportunity.
Club Artizen’s Sustainable Festive Box
Tip: Use sustainable packaging. Shiny plastic gift paper, out. Paper wrapping, in.
- Eat sustainably. Check out the mithai ke dabbe. Is there a thin plastic wrap around the sweets? Ask the mithaiwala to do away with that. Pro tip: Sweets individually wrapped in plastic are an absolute no-no.
- Decorate sustainably. Tis the season of thorans, flower decorations and much more! The market is full of plastic flowers and synthetic thorans. Minimize the plastic—go for cloth thorans and latkans as a substitute. You can also have children in the house make natural thorans of leaves and flowers—it will also be a fun activity for them.
Cloth latkans look beautiful and can be reused after a gentle wash.
- Wear sustainably. Natural materials like cotton and silk are better for the earth and for your body. When you shop, keep that in mind. This is a tough one, as the most colourful clothes within our budget may not be made of natural materials. Koi na.
- Light sustainably. Buy low-energy consuming LED lights and place strategically for maximum effect. See if you can light oil lamps in some places too. Switch them on only during the night.
LED lights are a great power saver. Pic by Dzenina Lukac
- Use fireworks sustainably. Avoid firecrackers. If you must use them, lower your budget for them and light them responsibly.
- All in all, celebrate sustainably! We often go on autopilot when it comes to festivals, but if you look at everything you do, and make one or two changes every time, that will create a better celebration for all!
What are some of the things you do to make your celebrations more sustainable?