How to celebrate GANESH CHATURTI in an eco friendly way?

The Ganesha Festival is just few days away. A great chance for nature lovers to set their hands on an eco-friendly ganpati idol….

We all know that, after immersions on the 11th day. Visiting the beach on the next day of immersion is a pathetic sight. You see the beach full un-dissolved idol limbs, polythene bags, flowers, thermocol, plastics, and toxic chemical dyes.

This Ganesh Chaturthi, Puneites can revive the their beloved nature by using Ganesh idols made of paper mache, while saving the environment at the same time. We have come up with this initiative of selling biodegradable Ganesh idols made from paper mache. Hand-sculpted by traditional sculptors village, the idols are painted with natural colours like turmeric for the ornaments and clothes, multani mitti for the skin colour and geroo for Ganesha’s seat and eco friendly paint.

So what could be the solution to the problem?

The only way we can reduce the impact of this festival is through community efforts. One of the reasons why Ganesh utsav started in the first place was to foster a feeling of community and unity among people and we again need to come together to reduce the damage we are doing on the environment.

Ways of minimizing the impact on environment-

Reducing the number of Ganesha idols. This can be done by having a few idols for a buildings, complexes and societies. Many families can come together and decide to celebrate the festival together, reducing the impact and increasing the joy of the festival.

Decreasing the size of Ganesh idols. Tougher regulations and more awareness are needed so that bigger idols are not immersed in the rivers and seas. These idols take more time to disintegrate and cause more damage to marine life.

Using eco friendly idols, paints and decorations. After reducing the number and size of the idols we need to look at the most eco friendly idol, paint and decorations and use it. Through innovation and originality we can surely celebrate ganesh utsav in the same lively manner but without harming our planet.