How to get clever for eco-friendly Diwali festivities

ARTHI GOPI

AND just like that, the year is drawing to a close! I don’t know why Diwali always suddenly pops up out of nowhere, and I suffer a mild anxiety attack because I realise I have not made any preparations for this beautiful celebratory event on the Hindu calendar.

It doesn’t stop there, either.

Suddenly, social engagements start flooding in – friends you haven’t had a chance to meet up with for the year, family gettogethers, work socials, weddings. This year, especially, we will all want to make trips to see family members we haven’t seen because of the pandemic and the lockdown regulations.

We all want to celebrate and make the best memories at these events, but this year I have become more conscious of my eco-footprint. For my Diwali trays that I will be giving to those near and dear, I went “eco-friendly”.

I chose not to use any plastic wrapping, plastic ribbons or anything not biodegradable.

When it comes to hosting, I am guilty of taking the easy approach, buying polystyrene cups and containers for events because I don’t want to be washing tons of glasses as everyone else parties.

Here are some suggestions:

We can choose to use reusable plastic cups, or biodegradable plates, containers, cups and cutlery as an alternative to polystyrene.

If you’re hosting an event at home, place clearly-marked boxes that will separately hold cans, paper, plastic and glass to make recycling easier.

Try wrapping gifts in ordinary brown paper as opposed to gift wrap.

Rather than covering up dishes in plastic wrapping when placing them on the table, buy serving dishes that have lids.

When buying food items for functions, try to look for those that are not wrapped, such as lettuce heads.

Digital invitations are now becoming the norm. Instead of paper printed invites for events, an electronic one is acceptable and not a form of disrespect to an invited guest.

Or, if using a paper invitation, avoid the addition of sparkly plastic beads to make things look pretty.

Consider renewable gifts such as a potted plant as a party favour, rather than plastic mementoes.

I hope these suggestions will assist in making your year-end festivities more eco-friendly.