The festive season has kicked in, and with it, so has all the fun, frolic and fervor - be it the recently concluded Ganesh Chaturthi across Maharashtra, or Durga Puja in Kolkata which is just around the corner. Dussehra and Diwali are coming up too. As people across the planet slowly move towards sustainable ways of living, it is time to rethink how we celebrate our festivals.

Dussehra or Durga Puja is celebrated for nine long days (which is called as Navaratri) and Vijaya Dashami or tenth day is celebrated as the victory of good over evil. Amidst the grand celebration, the giant puja pandals, larger than life goddess statues, decorative products, feasts, etc, piles of garbage are formed.

By taking an extra step to use eco-friendly products, you can make a difference. Here are ways you can be sustainable and celebrate – 

Eco-friendly idols

Traditionally, clay was used to make the idols which was taken over by plaster of Paris (PoP), which is a building material that pollutes the water and does not dissolve easily. Using the eco-friendly clay idols for the Puja is the best step you can take for an eco-friendly movement.

Eco-friendly decorations

Mostly, the puja pandals are decorated with thermocol, plastic products etc which generates a large volume of waste. Thermocol and plastic are non-degradable which causes harm to the environment. So limit your decoration to paper products and other natural degradable items including bamboo.

You could also follow simple tutorials online and create decorations out of waste. 

Eco-friendly disposables 

During the puja, the plates and other products used for consuming prasad and for eating should be degradable in nature. Plastic plates are not environmentally-friendly. Now, there are many products available in the market which are biodegradable, you may consider the most natural way, distributing in leaves.

Some options to choose from are leaf-based straws, edible straws, reusable plates, cups and cutlery. 

Save energy 

Saving power is the most crucial thing. During Dussehra, people tend to use different colorful lights including halogen lights to decorate the puja pandal which consumes a lot of power. Instead, one should opt for the CFL bulbs or other energy saving electrical products.

Recycle

You can collect the flowers and other organic products used in the puja and use it as compost for your garden. Also, you can immerse the idol in a separate water container and use that water for plants rather than immersing the idol in the nearby lake or sea.

Avoid noise 

Firecrackers cause environmental pollution. It releases harmful smoke which pollutes the air. Amidst festive madness, people tend to burst firecrackers on a large scale. It is impossible to get away from them, but try to reduce the numbers.

It is also common for groups of people to celebrate by playing loud music. This must be avoided as it will affect older people, those who are sick, animals and cause a commotion. 

Burning effigy

Another practice followed during this festival is the burning of a Ravana effigy. It symbolizes the win of good over evil. However, following this culture is evil to the environment. This year, instead of burning an effigy of Ravana, you can burn down other elements that won’t harm the environment and symbolize the win of good over evil. 

Once they can abandon negative qualities they have to be a better, kind and compassionate human being. Some of those qualities include ego, insensitivity, fear, greed, lust, and more. 

Lastly, “Do less” – whether it is decorating the puja pandals, making food items or visiting all puja pandals in the city. It costs money, consumes fuel and affects the environment. Keep your puja celebration simple and environment-friendly by taking care of these small things.