Diwali, the festival of lights brings with it lots of excitement, love, laughter, get-togethers and happiness. People spend liberally on their family and their loved ones in the spirit of Diwali. There is no way we can curb our will to shop, but we can be mindful and act responsibly while shopping so that we don’t burden and harm the environment.

Over time, seeing the environmental impacts, people have started celebrating festivals keeping green goals in mind. For example, the use of firecrackers has come down considerably due to their adverse impacts on the environment.

Here are a few tips that will help you to celebrate a green Diwali

Use traditional diyas

The traditional diyas are more preferred nowadays than the coloured and decorated ones due to the presence of chemicals in colours. Rather than using artificial lamps, it is always better to use the natural clay lamps as it imparts a certain sense of authenticity and originality to the celebrations. The act of using clay lamps for Diwali is steeped in our tradition.

Shop Right

Instead of buying new clothes and jewellery, let your creative juices flow so as to upscale the existing ones. If you, however, wish to buy new ones, invest in clothes and jewellery that you can use in different and interesting ways so that you don’t have to buy new ones every time. While buying clothes and jewellery, you can also go for timeless classics that can be passed down generations.

Gift Sensibly

Instead of gifting expensive and fancy gift hampers or feel-good goody bags, you can invest your time in making something that is environment-friendly, long-lasting, useful and meaningful to gift. You could also go for conscious options like gifting a tree or seed bombs instead of gifting flowers.

Do Not Waste Food

Diwali festival is synonymous with sweets and during this festival period, members of every household enjoy preparing the traditional Diwali delicacies. Making sweets and sharing it with loved ones is an expression of joy and love. However, if food happens to be in excess at home, find ways to use the leftovers or incorporate them into a new recipe to ensure that food is not wasted.

Here’s wishing you all a Happy, Prosperous and Sustainable Diwali!