How to Celebrate Eco-friendly Diwali in 2020?

on Nov 06, 2020 0 comments

Diwali is the festival of lights, happiness, joy, and social gatherings. Though 2020 Diwali will be completely different. However, we shouldn’t feel sad and put little effort and celebrate Virtual & Eco-friendly Diwali in 2020. This way we will not compromise on the festivities and will stay safe too.

Below are the 10 simple yet effective ways on How to celebrate Eco-friendly Diwali in 2020.

1. Support Local & Eco-friendly Brands

Corona has hit the world hard, especially the small and local businesses. Since Diwali is the time to give gifts so why not shop from ethical, local, eco-friendly small businesses. There are so many women who held small eco-friendly brands and NGOs which support orphans and prisoners to stand on their feet.

You must always remember that you have the power to make a difference by choosing the way you shop. By shopping from ethical brands, you appreciate the efforts and hard work of the people who are trying hard to make the world a better place. By refusing to buy those cheaply made Chinese products and opting for eco-friendly ones, you have casted a vote towards the world you support and want to live in.

2. Choose Green Gifts

On Diwali people express their happiness & love by giving gifts to each other. Traditionally it was about spreading happiness by sharing homemade, healthy sweets, but with the advancement in technology and busy lifestyle, soon people moved to readymade boxes of unhealthy sugar-coated sweets, snacks boxes which are made months ahead of Diwali, or max to max gifting candles, chocolates or showpieces. The tradition remained the same but the emotion changed.

Does it make sense to gift your loved ones something unhealthy, useless in the name of tradition, or the Diwali protocol?

It’s 2020, time to opt for eco-friendly, organic & green gifts that are healthy as well as environment friendly.

There are several options available from many local, Indie brands which are doing great work to promote health, sustainability, and eco-friendly products. You can gift organic Lip Balms, Teas, Soaps, Spices, Plants, Hand Sanitizer, Upcycled Torans, Masks, Jewellery, and Handmade decorative items.

Keep in mind this Diwali splurge on emotions rather than on unhealthy gifts. It expresses your love & care towards your loved ones & for the environment.

You can shop Eco-friendly, Green Diwali hampers from BeKarmic.

3. Use handmade or Reusable gift wrapping instead of the plastic one

Stop using plastic-wrapping for gifts. It might look attractive to some but it is highly harmful to the environment. Time to go for handmade or eco-friendly gift wrapping.

The easiest way is to wrap the gift in a newspaper or recycled paper. To make it more unique and give a personal touch you can wrap it in colorful cloth, lace, or jute. Do not carry the gift in a polythene bag, go for a reusable cloth bag or paper bag.

Your small acts towards the green mission might motivate a lot of people to do the same & can also impress them with your efforts.

4. Use Earthen Lamps instead of Plastic lights

What’s Diwali without diyas? Diyas have mythological significance in our culture. So let's go back to the tradition and lighten your house with the warmth and glow of earthen diyas and natural wax candles.

Making your family members and kids engaged in putting diyas all over the house gives a feeling of unity and love. New generations could also learn and know about the culture-making bonds stronger.

Using earthen lamps, you will be saving much more electricity too used to lighten up the fancy electric lights. In the case of eclectic lights, you can opt for LED lights. They use around 80% less energy than normal lights and less likely to fuse.

Purchase your diyas from the local market vendors/potters whose livelihood depends upon this Diwali season. They waited for so long for this festival to come so that they could sell their products. Try to make their Diwali a ray of hope and joy.

Earthen lamp/diyas need oil(mustard oil) and cotton wick that can be reused by filling oil all over again. The light coming from Diya is beneficial for the environment and has the capability of killing germs and bacteria present in the air. Moreover, pollution is negligible.

Agree with the fact that artificial electrical lights are easy to maintain and could be used again and again But they are not made in India. As a result, we are boosting another country’s economy in the name of our own festival. So always use MAKE IN INDIA earthen lamps and support Indian artisans and help them to celebrate the festival better

You can also enjoy DIY fun activities with kids painting the diyas at home with beautiful colors and making lanterns at home

5. Use organic essential oils & incense sticks instead of chemical room fresheners

Diwali is a festival of lights and decorations. Nowadays giving a touch of fragrance to your home is a trend. A lot of options are available in the market but some of them are chemically made that are not good for health.

So we should try some naturally made fragrances and essential oil sticks/candles to lighten up your house as well as be full of fragrance. Essential oils fragrance like lavender,eucalyptus, sea breeze relaxes mood, reduces anxiety and cures insomnia.

You can use organic incense sticks with fresh flowers in Diwali puja. Do away with the synthetic room fresheners. Bring home the Calming Backflow Incense Burner to spread the good vibes this Diwali.

6. Reuse or Upcycle Diwali Decoration instead of buying new

Diwali is the perfect time to deep-clean your house and to decorate it to look all pretty and festive but it makes no sense to buy new decorative stuff every year. Since a lot of us are at home because of COVID so this is the perfect time to try our hands in upcycling & recycling.

Quick & East DIYs to try at home

Toran or Bandhanwars are essential & traditional decorative pieces for Diwali, you can easily make it at home by using leftover papers or bright-colored cloth. If you don’t have time to make one then invest in a handcrafted, reusable, eco-friendly toran.

Use colorful sarees & dupattas for the decoration. Make lanterns by using leftover craft materials like tissues, sandwich, or rice paper.

Don't throw away any fused incandescent bulbs. Recycle and use them as an oil lamp or turn them into small flower vases by placing a rose or orchid in the center.

However, if you’re not too keen on DIY-ing, the least you can do is to not buy plastic decorative items because it is very harmful to the environment. Shop responsibly, buy local and plastic-free products.

7. Use Green crackers instead of chemical crackers

Bursting of firecrackers is integral to the ecstasy of Diwali. We agree! But the fact is that the heavy metals and toxic gases released by these crackers add to the ever-increasing pollution levels.

Crackers are known to be accident-prone and health issues. You can opt for eco-friendly crackers instead of chemical crackers. Eco-friendly crackers are made up of recycled paper. The sound produced by these crackers is as per the defined limits of the Pollution Board. Besides, you can even enjoy the excitement without burdening the environment.

In addition, you can gather together in some park, garden — Share your thoughts, celebrate it with lightning, the sky lanterns, make rangoli in the community, and enjoy

We all witnessed how pollution levels decreased during the lockdown. The environment is our top priority and that is why we must take steps to protect it and prevent its depletion. The lockdown proved that there is still scope for us to prevent the decline of the environment as we saw so many endangered species of animals roaming here and there freely. Thus, we must not burn crackers this year and celebrate Diwali in an eco-friendly way

We can not say crackers are the sole reason for environmental pollution but they could catalyze, so opt to miss crackers totally

8. Use Organic Colors for Rangoli

Rangoli is the eternal part of the Diwali celebration. It gives a pure and holy touch to the festival and house too. While rangolis made with artificial colors may look awesome but they are far from being safe. Most artificial colors contain harmful chemicals that are bad for not just your own health but for the environment as well.

This Diwali, go for natural and homemade colors to decorate your house with rangoli. What about using flowers that can add a unique freshness, beauty, and fragrance to your rangolis? You can easily mix and match different flowers and use them to create exceptional patterns. Let's unfold the creative creature in you!

In earlier days, Rangoli or Kolams was a traditional way of sharing our food and life with insects and birds. Even today, in some villages down south, the Kolam is made with either rice paste or dry rice flour to feed ants and small birds. To include colors in your rangoli use natural colors instead of chemically synthesized ones. Try using turmeric, coffee powder, and kumkum for yellow, brown, and red. Pulses at home have a wide range of colors options.

9. Donate old stuff to needy ones

Diwali is the time to declutter your wardrobes and house. People tend to buy new stuff to replace the old ones which have become a trend but if you are mindful enough then throwing away stuff does not make sense. Donate the clothes or things you no longer need or use. Your act of kindness will bring a smile to someone's face.

If you have to buy something new then opt for eco-friendly or things that are recyclable.

10. Maintain Social distancing & Celebrate Virtual Diwali

Diwali is the festival of lights, enthusiasm, social gatherings, and festive food. Unfortunately because of the whole covid situation, everyone needs to follow the protocols of hygiene & social distancing but it doesn't mean you can’t have fun. You and your family can e-meet, organise virtual game night, get dressed and go live. With the new normal people have gone a lot more creative. So instead of being sad, you can come up with some creative ideas and celebrate this diwali virtually with your loved ones.

Let’s pledge to celebrate a Clean, Green, Smoke-free & Eco-friendly Diwali.