Let's Celebrate An Environment Friendly Diwali

Diwali: A Festival of Sound and Air Pollution.

Probably this is how the coming generations will remember the 'The Festival Of Lights' as.

We would be celebrating Diwali this year in a matter of few days, same as last year, and you're reading yet another post trying to convince you to celebrate this Diwali eco-friendly, same as last year.

Each year we celebrate this festival to mark the victory of good over evil which is quite ironic when we ourselves are the villains to mother earth and our future generations, who'll probably blame and curse us for leaving the nature in a dismal state during their lifetime.   

Traditionally, Diwali was celebrated by buying new clothes, enjoying various sweets, lighting up houses with lamps and lanterns and was a festival of sharing happiness with family and friends.
But over the years, the festival has lost its meaning and has instead turned into a day of peak environmental pollution and excess power consumption. Each year a new record of pollution level is set. Our current method of celebrating Diwali with crackers and series lighting is leading to various environmental and social harms.

Adverse Effects of Modern Diwali Celebration

1. The firecracker industry in India is on a rise and if you too are involved in bursting crackers, then you are contributing to the following:

• Bursting crackers releases harmful chemicals like Sulfur dioxide, Cadmium, Lead, Copper, Nitrates, etc. into the atmosphere which makes the air highly toxic and poisonous. This can lead to skin irritation, lung damage, asthma and other breathing disorders. It can permanently damage the lungs of kids. Inhaling this toxic air can reduce the lifespan significantly. It is also a contributing factor to global warming.
• The excessive sound pollution caused by bursting crackers can cause temporary and in some cases permanent deafness, hypertension and other heart related and hearing impairments. It can also disturb sleep patterns.
• The littered streets on the next day of Diwali with bits and pieces of papers and chemicals all around are a normal sight in India.
• The lives of street animals are put in danger by the smoky and toxic air, loud noises of crackers and burning sparklers thrown carelessly.  
• The firecracker industry employs a large number of children aged 6-14 which is illegal. Thus by bursting crackers, we are promoting child labor and risking their lives, majority of whose lungs are damaged at a very young age.   

Littered streets on the next day of Diwali

A large number of child laborers are employed in firework factories

2. The power consumption during Diwali reaches an all year high mainly due to the decorative lighting and in order to fulfill this demand coal is used which adds to environmental pollution and global warming.

3. A lot of paper is wasted in making crackers, which means more the crackers are burnt, more number of trees are cut and thus more is the environmental damage.    

Let's Bring A Change Together

1.'Say no to crackers'; simple advice and you must have heard it a number of times but yet most people choose to ignore it. This can prevent bursting crackers from becoming another cause of sound and air pollution. It can also be a great way to contribute to the 'Clean India Movement'. This can also be a help to the street animals and save the lives of thousands of child laborers.

2. Use eco-friendly materials for decoration and earthen lamps and LEDs for lighting rather than Chinese lighting. This can reduce the power consumption and thus reduce coal use. It can be a great money saving tip this Diwali.

3. Use paper for gift wrapping instead of plastic and use natural color rangoli rather than the synthetic color rangoli. 

4. The fate of our future generations lies in our hands. It is the time that we realize this responsibility and fulfill it rather than combining religious sentiments with the protection of our nature.   

5. Finally, if people can spend thousands on crackers, then they can spend the same money in helping the people who really need it. Buying new clothes, sweets and gifts for them would bring a priceless smile on their faces which is far more expensive than the pointless joy of bursting crackers.


That is all with the post. A very happy and prosperous Diwali to all of you. It is very important that we share this message with as many people as possible to reduce pollution and save this planet for our future generations. Your suggestions are welcome in the comments. Until next time:
Keep reading and keep smiling:)

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