All The Ways We Can Celebrate An Environment-Friendly Ganesh Chaturthi

"Oh wake me up when September begins" is a mantra I chant all year long until September finally arrives. My longing for the month of September stems from one reason: the beginning of the festive season.

Kicking off the festivities as always with Ganesh Utsav, a 10-day festival celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Ganesha.

While Ganesh Chaturthi brings in a much needed dose of happiness and reverie, environmentalists have pointed out year after year how we need to develop ways to celebrate an eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi. These concerns have been raised because the festival is a major contributor to water pollution.

Now that our rivers and local sea bodies are drying up and toxicity levels continue to rise, it's the need of the hour to adopt eco-friendly practices. That's why we all must come together to ensure Ganesh Utsav is celebrated in a way that's the kindest to the environment.

Below, we've detailed all the ways to celebrate an environment-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi.

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1. Environment-friendly lord Ganesha idols.

Devotees as well as manufacturers have come environmentally wise when it comes choosing materials that are used to create eco-friendly idols. Earlier the market used to be flooded with plaster of paris (POP) or paper mash dolls but now the demand for clay idols is back. Thank lord ganesha that consumers are abstaining from buying POP idols as plaster of Paris idols take 15 days to a month to disintegrate and cause an increase in marine life toxicity, while those made of clay or re-cycled paper take only a day or less to dissolve in water and cause lesser water pollution. It's also wise to limit the size of idols to as small as possible.

You can go a step further and make your own idol at home. There are plenty of tutorials available online that will teach you how to make your own idols and to paint them, use natural colors.

2. Decoration that doesn't harm the environment.

Make your own decoration and use eco-friendly materials like real flowers, paper products and oil lamps which can be reused or get dissolved in water effortlessly. Also we recommend using biodegradable colours like herbal gulaal, rice powder or haldi to make those beautiful rangolis.

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3. Ganesh Utsav rituals can be carried out in the most environment conscious way.

Instead of buying new decorative materials every year, learn to re-use decorations that you bought earlier. Completely ban plastic from your celebrations by opting for bamboo crafted cutlery and plates or even leaves to offer prasad and while distributing food in pandals.

4. The most ethical Ganpati Visarjan.

By following these tips, we can carry out Ganesh Visarjan in the most environmentally-ethically way. Preferably immerse the idol in an artificial water tank instead of the sea. Segregate flowers, garlands and any plastic material before the idol is immersed in water. Compost the biodegradable holy waste instead of mindlessly throwing it away as the generated compost is a really good fertilizer, ideal for gardening.

No body wants to come in between your celebrations. We want you to have the happiest and prosperous Ganpati Utsav in the grandest way possible. By incorporating these tips you would't just be contributing to the environment but following Lord Ganesha's number one belief: of protecting our planet fiercely.