Happy Diwali , make it Green

Diwali is the Festival of Lights being celebrated in different parts of India and by Indian communities around the world. It is being celebrated with fervour and gaiety during November first week, just before the winter sets in. The festival is celebrated by young and old, rich and poor, to dispel darkness and light up their lives. The festival symbolizes unity in diversity as every state celebrates it in its own special way. Diwali is common for Hindus, Sikhs and Jain religious communities. Diwali is known in various names in different parts of India like Deepabali, Deepavali, Deepawali etc. These festivals with their own history and origin are very much similar in style of celebration, the motto and obviously relevant questions of sustainability.

For getting more details on history and origin, please check the following links:

http://www.indiaexpress.com/faith/festivals/dhistory.html
http://rumela.com/events/festival_diwali_history.htm
and many more by searching “diwali, history” on any search engine.

Diwali is generally celebrated by illuminating houses with diya or pradeep or deep (a handmade illuminating stuff with small bowl and a lit), candles and chain of tiny lamps along with decorating floor and walls with rangoli (a decoration practice using coloured pastes) bursting fire crackers and distributing sweets and sharing exciting gifts.

For getting more details on celebration in India as well as around the world, please check the following links:

http://rumela.com/events/festival_diwali.htm
http://www.thatsqingdao.com/images/qingdao/chinaFirecracker.jpg
and many more by searching “diwali, celebration” on any search engine.

Diwali celebration brings joy and fun for millions of people around the world. However, the usual way of bursting lots of noisy fire crackers, using excessive packing for gifts as well as electricity for illumination make the festival harmful to human health and environment and wasteful as well. The fire crackers made of a kind of gun powder create noise in the range of 100-150dBA which is well above the human tolerance of 80-90dBA. Such noise can cause hearing loss, increase in blood pressure and even heart attack. The crackers along other fireworks cause smoke with contains high amount of Sulphur di-oxide, Nitrogen oxides and heavy metals like Lead, Cadmium etc. According Government of NCT, Delhi, the air pollution level in the city manifolds upto 10 times during diwali. Exposure to such smoky air, could lead one to diseases like asthma, anaemia with kidney damage. The unburnt parts of the fireworks containing harmful chemicals like lead, copper, cadmium, sodium nitrite or potassium nitrate can contamination to water bodies. The wrapping for gift and other items piles up substantial amount of solid waste across the country. The washout of such mostly non-biodegradable substances chocks the drainage system and create flood like that in July, 2005 in Mumbai.

For getting more details on harmful side of diwali celebration as well as the legal initiatives taken to stop this menace, please check the following links:

http://www.diwalifestival.org/environmentally-safe-diwali.html
http://www.indiatogether.org/environment/articles/diwali.htm
http://environment.delhigovt.nic.in/cm_msg.html
and many more by searching “diwali, environment” on any search engine.

So, can we compromise our joy in Festival like Diwali for environment safety or healthy life? Surely, it’s a difficult choice for most of the common people and may be easy to choose joy for many of the youth despite knowing the harmful effects. Recently Yahoo Answers floated an online question on “How can we celebrate Diwali without harming the environment?” There are over 300 answers have been received for the resolved question. Many were a bit casual in answer, some answered in practical way making sceptic remarks like “Come on! diwali is the celebration of light and sound, if we compromise with fire crackers, then whats the diwali meant for????” Yes, you cannot ignore there voices, but you may look for some practical alternatives which keep the balance between these two sentiments. There are crazy people like the members of Sustainable Youth to suggest some innovative ways. And the best chosen answer has given the following blue print:

“we can have a crackers show for 2 hours in a common place where people can see and enjoy the crackers, instead of each doing at their home in a small way and making the whole city dusty with paper if in a common place

(1)the sound will be only for a particular time
(2) the paper dust will be only in one place
(3) the cost of diwali celebrations can be reduced
(4) no neighbours envy
(5) only a little of air and sound pollution
(6) can be had in a place far from hospitals
(7) safe measures can be ensured in that place
(8) monitoring of the safety of the people is easy
(9) enjoyment can be shared by all at the same place
(10) a get-together is easy”

She is not alone there are plenty of sensitive as well as innovative people out there. Even leading daily new papers in India viz. Indian Express, Times of India have come out with eco-friendly or sustainable way to celebrate diwali with available options.

For getting more details on question related to eco-friendly diwali celebration on yahoo answer and ways suggested in Indian Express and Times of India, please check the following links:

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071021080004AAysxRm
http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/235205._.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-251216,prtpage-1.cms
and many more by searching “diwali, green” on any search engine.

Sustainable Youth, being a crazy community which believes in youthful innovation for sustainable lifestyle would like to offer following tips to “Make your Diwali Green” without compromising the level of joy and fun for people in India and abroad:

@ Buy and sell fire crackers which are tested not to create noise above 100dBA.
# Use fire crackers in the open field, during the days of Diwali only and within 10 pm.
$ Buy and send gifts with minimum wrapping.
% Collect the residues of fireworks and gift items and discard them to municipal solid waste collection system only.
@ Use earthen diyas or pradeeps or handmade candles to illuminate your home, reduce or do not use electric bulbs.
# Use public transport or pack up your new car with relatives or neighbours to have efficient usage of fuel.
% Be responsive to the inconvenience of your neighbours.
@ Go for community celebration, share the joy and happiness.

These tips are applicable for 2007 only, next year we may come up a new breed of fire crackers which produces maximum light with minimum harmful residues and noise to make diwali greener. And we would like to continue our similar campaign during Christmas this year.

Check our community page on Orkut for more discussion on Green Diwali tips:
http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=12663294&tid=2564838554463078184&start=1

Sustainable Youth wishes a very happy diwali and requests to make it Green.