‘Ganpati Bappa Morya!!!’....Just few hours left for celebrations to begin...Ladoos, Modaks, pujas, bhajans, cultural activities , guests , cousins , fun , smiles etc.Positive, joyful vibes all around...But above all this one aspect that we have to keep into utmost consideration is NATURE... We have no rights to disturb the ecological balance...So here are few things by which we can protect our EARTH and can equally enjoy without any compromises: •Use Eco Friendly Ganesh idol: Say no to idols made of chemical, Plaster of paris, clay, plastic, thermocol (polystyrene). Opt for natural, biodegradable material so that after immersions (visarjan) it does not pollute water and surroundings. Natural products can be used to make the idol such as unbaked clay, coconut, paint with natural colours, etc. •Limit Size and number of Ganesh Idols in your community: Bigger size idols take much space. The height of the Ganesh idol should be limited maximum to 5 feet or 1.5 meters. Huge idols consume more clay or POP for its making,adding more waste to environment. •Save Energy: Switch on decorative lights during the “aarti” or “puja” and evenings only when necessary. Replace traditional bulbs such as incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFL).Use energy efficient CFL tubes instead of bulbs to save electricity. Colored papers can also be wrapped on bulbs to give more colors rather than buying expensive bulbs. •Natural colors for Rangoli: Use natural biodegradable colours for making Rangoli such as turmeric, henna, mehendi, rice powder, gulaal. Such colours do not pose a threat to human health and do not affect the environment also. •Eco friendly Decoration: In festivals people generally use plastic and non-degradable material. These materials add more danger to our environment when dumped as garbage later. You can use instead paper flowers or natural flowers for decoration. Natural materials like cloth, wood, paper can be used to make dolls, puppets, and bells to decorate around Ganpati idol. Make beautiful paper decoration instead of thermocol, which is also not degradable. •Ban Plastic: Offerings, Prasad, fruits which are carried to pandals are thrown here and there as garbage. Nobody takes care of that and it pollutes the environment. So Say No to Plastic Bags. Instead cloth bags can be encouraged which is very comfortable to carry, biodegradable and can be reused later. Discourage the use of Plastic Bags for disposing “Nirmalya” and other offerings and these should be disposed in a paper bag. Use natural plates like banana leaves instead of plastic plates for distributing Prasad. Disposable, non biodegradable plates, plastic sheets etc affect the environment. •Refrain from Noise Pollution: Avoid playing loud music which might create disturbance to others. Mridangam, Tabla and such low sound instruments can be used instead. Loudspeakers can create problem to hospitals, old age homes, and educational institutes. Avoid bursting firecrackers as it emit fumes which are harmful to health. They pose a threat to patients and public health. •Limit number of public pandals: More pandals means more noise, more pollution and more dumped garbage. Instead of celebrating the same festivals at different pandals, make a huge pandal in the community and all the community members and people from neighbor-hoods can come and jointly celebrate the festival which will also reduce the number of immersions at the later stage. •Use artificial immersion tank: The same water body used for immersion which is also used for irrigation or drinking purpose might cause health hazards later. So, use artificial tank instead of natural water source like river, lake or pond. •Awareness on Green Ganesh or Eco-friendly Ganesh: Understand the concept of the Ganesh festival in its true sense and its effects on our Mother Nature. More and more eco friendly ways should be developed and awareness should be spread among people. Prizes should be distributed to communities who promote eco friendly ways of celebrating festivals which will encourage others. Posters and videos can be shown among apartments sharing knowledge about eco-friendly ways. Awareness drives and workshops should be conducted. •Compost pit for organic material: Collect separately after the festivals, the offerings of flowers, garlands often called “Nirmalya” and other organic material and put them in a community built compost pit. This compost material can be used to fertilize your garden. If you must immerse them, wrap them in newspapers instead of polythene bags as paper is biodegradable. Dried flowers can be used later to make natural colours or decorative paper for gifts. •Symbolic immersion: Instead of immersing Ganesh idol in a water body, it can be symbolically immersed at home. Some people use a metal or stone idol and symbolically immerse this in a bucket of water, or even carry it in procession to the sea, hold it under the water, and then bring it back home for the next year. A betel nut in place of the actual idol can be immersed in a bucket of water. Another way of immersion can be sprinkling a few drops of water on the idol and then wiping it off and keeping it for next year’s use. Enjoy Ganesh Chaturthi but also respect the nature. Encourage people to use environmentally safe idols and decoration. #GoGreen #GanpatiBappaMorya https://youtube/watch?v=iWzm58EPemU
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 12:11:30 +0000
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