Holi is the festival of colors, love, and happiness but during the celebrations, many people tend to cause harm to the environment intentionally or unintentionally. To celebrate holy in an eco-friendly way, play with natural colors, avoid using balloons and plastic and choose bio-degradable packaging to serve food.
Holi is the most vibrant festival of India. It is the festival where you see a beautiful blend of colors and the great indulgence of celebrations that add life to the day of the fiesta. This colorful festival of Holi is to celebrate the victory of almighty over the demon and make us all realize the power of goodness.
Celebrations play a significant role in our lives. But while we are engrossed in celebrations we also need to realize the importance of the environment around us. So this time let us celebrate Holi in an eco-friendly way. An eco-friendly celebration of Holi will be no less than the way we celebrate it normally. Below are a few eco-friendly ways to celebrate Holi while taking care of the environment:
1. Celebrate it in a dry way
According to the CSR journal, India wastes as much water as the whole United Kingdom consumes in a year. We must reserve our water before a serious worst water crisis hits India. If you are playing wet Holi, there is often the use of pichkaris and water balloons will create unnecessary garbage, waste a lot of water and pollute the environment. Therefore, celebrate a dry Holi to avoid such unnecessary harm to the environment. So, this Holi is a responsible citizen and celebrate dry Holi.
2. Don’t force someone to play Holy or throw colors at random people
If any of your friends are concerned about their skin, hair or coronavirus do not force them to play as it is their choice. You should also not throw colors and water on random people as it is rude and unsafe, especially when they are riding a motorcycle or a car.
3. Avoid playing in mud and dirty places
In the excitement of holy, many people go silly and start to play in the wet mud. They sit and lie down in dirty places without realizing the risks of getting sick. Celebrating Holi in the middle of coronavirus outbreak can be uncertain so avoid playing in the mud or dirty places. If you
4. Play Holi with natural colors
Playing Holi with natural colors is the best way to celebrate this colorful festival. You can make your own natural colors by simply using turmeric, Chandan and flower extracts and making their different combinations with your imaginations. For those who do not have the time, there is the choice of buying natural Holi colors. Such colors are harmless and can easily be washed off. If you are unable to find any natural colors or couldn’t make the color you want, you can use flower petals, which is always a better option.
5. Avoid the use of balloons & plastic bags
Water balloons are made of rubber and plastic, while Pichkaris are simply made using plastic alone. Our country landfills are already burdened with overflowing garbage, this Holi we can switch to eco-friendly alternatives and ditch these Holi accessories that create unnecessary garbage and waste plenty of water.
6. Don’t throw colors on plants and animals
Many a time, people involve animals during festivities. Yes, Holi is fun but applying colors to animals is not at all required. Be more sensitive towards animals around you and celebrate animal-friendly Holi. Animal Welfare Board and People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) appeal every year not to throw colors on pets and animals. So, stay away from harmful behavior and stop others from doing too.
7. Decorate your house with recycled or paper products
Say goodbye to plastic decorations during Holi and choose an environmentally friendly way to decorate your home. Most of the festive decorations nowadays are mostly made from plastic which can cause harm to the environment. This Holi, decorate your home with paper or environmentally friendly products. You can also try to make some decorations at home using colored paper like colorful walls, lanterns or decorative banners using newspapers, magazines, old books, and cardboard.
8. Eco-friendly Holi bonfire
The burning of fuelwood to create the bonfire presents another serious environmental problem. Considering that approximately 30,000 bonfires are lit in the state of Gujarat alone just for one season, this leads to wastage of a staggering amount of wood.
Instead of using precious wood by chopping off the trees, one can burn eco-friendly waste for the Holi bonfire which will not create pollution. Use ingredients like cow-dung cakes, coconut waste, and camphor to light up. Pledge to protect trees and have a greener environment this Holi festival.
9. Prepare homemade sweets and avoid outside food
To avoid any kind of contamination during this coronavirus outbreak, prepare all of your food and sweets at home. Instead of eating outside and buying sweets from shops, you can prepare delicious sweets and dishes by following cooking videos and apps.
10. Post Holi responsibilities
Make sure the place you played holy is all clean and litter-free before you go home. Pick up all the litters from the ground such as color wrappers, paper, plastic toys, plastic cups, and styrofoam plates. Once you go home, take off your dirty clothes and throw it straight in the laundry, this can prevent any contamination of germs inside your home. Take a long shower using disinfectant soap or antiseptic soap before you meet any of your family members.
11. Avoid eating in styrofoam cups and bowls
Whenever there is any kind of function or celebration in India, you see a lot of styrofoam plates, plastic cutlery and plastic cups lying around. Even during the celebration of Holi, the scene is not much different. Free foods are served in every corner and people from all sections are welcome to eat, but with this rises the problem of non-biodegradable trash.
Instead of serving locals in plastic or styrofoam plates, you can use biodegradable food packaging or eco-friendly disposable plates made from natural products. Using bio-degradable cups and bowls during Holi can help a lot for the earth to recover. Ecoware, one of the leading sustainable packaging in India fully supports the campaign of eco-friendly Holi by providing natural and bio-degradable products at the most affordable prices. The product ranges from eco-friendly disposable tableware, biodegradable plates, to biodegradable paper bowls and biodegradable disposable cups. Go through our website Ecoware.in and place your order for Holi, Now!
