How to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali?

Diwali symbolizes the victory of knowledge over ignorance and the festival of light doesn’t have to be a burden on the planet. With a little effort and consciousness, you can minimize your energy consumption, and waste this Diwali. Here are some ideas to help celebrate the festival of light while caring for Mother Earth.

• Reuse or Recycle Old Stuff

• Zero-VOC Wall Paint  

• Conscious Shopping

• Eco-friendly Puja 

• Thoughtful Gifts

• Traditional Lighting

• Healthy Eating 

• Eco-friendly Decoration & Rangolis

• Alternatives To Firecrackers

• Chemical-free festive make-up

• Watch Your Waste 

Reuse and recycle old stuff

The important ritual of the Diwali celebration is the cleaning and adorning your home to entice the Goddess Lakshmi – who brings prosperity into your home. Diwali cleaning is about to throw away anything you haven’t used in over a year or you probably won’t need those items again, or won’t need them again at all which results in tons of waste which goes to the landfill.

The environmental costs associated with the Diwali cleaning can be reduced by simple awareness and some pre-planning. You need THREE baskets defined for these three purposes:

1.Recycle- This bin is for items that need to be recycled, such as paper, plastic or glass, electronics.

2.Mend-  Wait! Before you discard something into the trash, consider extending its use.  Fix up any cracks, tears, and stains from accidental spills and reuse it. Stains on your leather handbag can be treated with white vinegar.

3.Donate- Assign one bin for items that you can donate to a charitable organization or another person. These should be items you can imagine another person wanting or needing. Like books, toys, stationery, jackets, or accessories.

Zero-VOC wall paint 

Diwali is time to add festive color to your home. Usually, the whole house is thoroughly cleaned, painted, and decorated with a lot of enthusiasm. We believe a home makeover is unfinished without a fresh coat of paint. The best way to instantly uplift your home and make it fit for the festivities is to start with the walls as it is the first thing that guests notice when they step into the house.

You can pick accent colors for your walls instead of painting the whole house. Even a simple highlight wall can radiant freshness and positivity in any living space. In the spirit of the festival, you can go with a festive palette such as deep blue, green, red, magenta, fuchsia, purple or burnt orange. These colors are sure to enhance the glam quotient of any living space.

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Choose environmentally-friendly paint with  Zero-VOC and Green-Pro certified, and cycled packaging. Not sure where to buy? Check Eco-Friendly Nerolac Paint (4 L) Berger Luxury Interior Emulsion Wall Paints, or Asian Paint Royale Paint

Conscious shopping 

Buying new clothes is like an age-old tradition and is an integral part of Diwali shopping. Hindus believed that buying gold or household appliance symbolizes the blessing that Goddess Lakshmi showers on you. Diwali shopping is incomplete without buying new clothes.

Prefer clothing brands that focus is on craftsmanship, natural design, and materials that are designed to last, which are not trend-driven. Opt for fabrics such as pure handloom cotton, handspun khadi, and even machine-made cotton.

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Whether you’re just catching up into the slow fashion game or you’ve been wearing traditional wear for, like, forever, check out these traditional fashion brands Fabindia linen with blouse ,Devanshi Handloom Women’s Sambalpuri Silk Saree With Blouse )YEOLA PAITHANI Dagina (Peshwai Silk) Paithani  Kanchipuram/Kanjivaram Silk Saree Golden Red with Booti Print 

Eco-friendly puja

The leftover of our prayer offering is a major concern for the environment, the amount of plastic used for packaging various stuff used in prayers is quite high as every single material is packed in it and is one of the major sources of plastic pollution.

Consider the proper disposal of the waste that is produced during puja rituals.

• Segregate the remains of Diwali puja by plastic waste and organic waste.
• If you are using Idol prefer soft clay, with no paint one. These will dissolve almost immediately in the water, causing no harm.
• The saris and fabrics as needed in your puja, after Diwali wash and give it to a needy or elderly person who could use them.
• Wheat & Rice, you can rinse with water and dry it for two hours and feed to birds.
• Attar, can be used as an air freshener or for aromatherapy by placing it in diyas in your home.

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Look at the list of some eco-friendly ways that are being adopted to set up Diwali Puja LIKE Brass Goddess Ashtalakshmi | Ashta Lakshmi Set for Diwali Pooja Handmade Statue (Ganesh Lakshmi),Organic Dhoop Cones ,Omved Loban Ayurvedic, Organic, Natural and Non-Toxic Incense Sticks ,Cotton Silk Jute Pooja Aasana, Sterling Silver Laxmi Lakshmi Charan Paduka, 10 g,Pooja kit/sampurna Diwali puja samagri ,Handmade, Diya, Jyot, Organic, Rui, Bati

Thoughtful Diwali Gifts 

Exchanging gifts on Diwali is an excellent way to strengthen relationships, it also reflects the warm feelings and the spirit of the festivity. Diwali gifts should be pack with practical needs and need to be bought new. You must think of gifts with gestures of thoughtfulness. 

The following important things that you need to consider before buying your Diwali gifts.

1.Seek For Locally Made Gifts

Buying gifts from local craft or artisan shops as they are a good source for gifts that come without the added costs of transportation and support the local community. While gifts made locally often have a story that goes with the gift, since the artisan and the origin of the gift are known.

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Check out some handmade and handcrafted gift options, so you can express your love on the special occasion of Diwali  Copper Mugs – Set of 4-100% Handcrafted – Food Safe Pure Solid Copper Mugs Cocktail Copper Straws and Jigger!, Handicraft Wooden Dry Fruit Box,Forest essentials Luxury Sugar Soap 

 Handicrafts Glass, Pure Copper Jug with Glass, Wood Handcrafted Dry Fruit Box Wooden Hand Painted  Home Decorative  Natural Organic Handmade Luxury Bath Soap,Modern Plant Stand- Set with Tall Metal Stand,

2.Re-gifting’ Is Perfectly Acceptable

If you receive something you really don’t need, it’s perfectly fine if you can pass it to someone who would appreciate or could use it. Re-gifting needs to be done with care and don’t do anything that embarrasses you or the person who gave it to you. Consider the re-gifting of unopened perfume, candles. bath products, gourmet foods (remember to check the expiration date), or books in excellent condition.

3.Bring Up A Memory

Appreciate anything that shows thoughtfulness as not all the gifts have to be store-bought. The gift of an experience can bring memories that hold value for years. like tickets to a show or concert, Sports events, OR Homemade food are just as valued as that store-bought gift which they may not really even need.

4.Use Environmentally Friendly Wrapping Paper

Choose wrapping paper made using fibers such as Pure Hemp Regular/Small Size Rolling Paper  or paper using recycled content.

Traditional Lighting

Diyas are an integral part of Diwali and the festival of lights means a row of lamps. Traditionally, all houses are decorated with tiny lights called diyas. A diya is an earthen lamp, made out of clay. Today Diwali diyas are available in different forms of electric lamps. Prefer the  Traditional Handmade Earthen Clay Decorative Dipawali/Diwali Diya/ that is dipped in vegetable oil and emit the least harmful fumes. You can opt for diyas with dough, orange peel coconut shell, conch shells. Next, just add some oil and a wick.

Days are gone when the house with the most decorative Diwali lights used to be considered the ‘best’. Times have changed, nobody likes the overdose of lightning as electricity consumes natural resources and increases the utility bill. 

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You can prefer theEco¢ Solar Diya (Solar-powered diyas) as they are durable, you can save the oil and keep the tradition alive. The solar-powered diyas can be kept under sunlight for 5-6 hours to recharge them.

If you’re going to use a lantern and LED lights then opt for Eco-friendly options like Eco’s Spiral  Bamboo Lantern with Holder,  Curtain String Light 

Eco-friendly decoration and rangoli 

Diwali decoration is the main part of the festival & starts with cleaning and decorating houses weeks before. Diwali Home decoration includes Rangoli making which are considered auspicious and a sign of welcoming Goddess Lakshmi to your home. Most of the time Diwali decoration includes plastic leaf torans or artificial flowers and rangoli with harmful chemicals.

To make Diwali eco-friendly consider using Natural Rangoli Colour/Organic//Rangoli Powder and fresh flowers and leaves for Rangoli over plastic flowers. Decorate home with fresh bright and colorful flowers instead of a plastic ribbon. Use organic incense sticks instead of synthetic room fresheners. or you can fill water in the bowl and put some flowers with floating candles.

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If you are still figuring out the impressive eco Diwali decor that would make your home stand out and light up the festivity like never before, here are decor ideas for Diwali for your home such as Natural Wooden Small Trays with a Pair of SHUBH-LABH , Ceramic Home Fragrances Humidifiers Cum Aroma Diffuser, , E-Handicrafts Pure Brass Uruli Hammered Bowl

Alternatives to firecrackers

Although burning firecrackers has been a Diwali trend, Most of us grew up celebrating Diwali bursting firecrackers However, the pollution caused by firecrackers is not good for the environment and it bothers your furry friends too. If at all you cannot skip this part, buy varieties that release as little fumes as possible and make very little noise. Prefer Eco-friendly crackers claim to reduce particulate matter by 30%.  

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You can shop for A2Z Electronic Fire Crackers Loud Ladi Ptaka Sound Firecrackers LED Light with Remote These electronic light and sound crackers generate through high voltage discharge and eco-friendly too.

Chemical-free festive make-up

A crucial part of Diwali for a woman is to look gorgeous and create flawless makeup looks. it can be ethically sourced but needs free from toxic ingredients like parabens, fragrances, etc. While applying synthetic chemical-free beauty products are great for your skin, it is also a great opportunity to make a difference to the environment as well.

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You can opt for The Body Shop, Omved  Forest Essentials, brands, they practice ethical and eco-friendly ways to produce its entire range of skincare products. The cosmetics are moderately priced but you can opt for skin, hair, body care products according to your need. Most, the brand is offering a discount on its products during Diwali.

Healthy Eating 

Traditional Indian food is the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind when talking about Diwali, and it is one of the best ways to connect with a person of a different culture or background. For most of us, Diwali can disturb your diet but it all depends on how much you engage in feasting, whether you buy highly processed food that’s ready-made from a shop or you make it at home yourself always prefer healthy and organic foods, you not only make yourself fit and fine during the festival but also contribute to reducing food wastage.

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If you want a healthier version of them, try these Organic Purify Namkeen Sev, Kaju katli 

Watch your waste

Once the festival is over, begin the cleanup with the removal of decorations like Dried flowers hanging from doors and windows, as well as ribbons and decorative materials made out of paper can be easily removed from the house. Diyas and rangoli are also on the list of items to be removed once the festival has ended. Collect all the firecracker remnants and segregate them as biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste and dispose of it responsibly. Wash the place thoroughly with water and use a liquid cleaner to ensure that no hazardous remnants remain.

These are a few simple ways for you to celebrate Diwali in an eco-friendly way. It doesn’t take much except for switching to eco-friendly options and going back to basics. If you liked these eco-friendly options for the Diwali celebration, don’t forget to hit our comment section. We are very much open to more ideas and would love it if you can share some from your side as well.

Image source: Pixabay and Pexels