One of India’s favourite festivals is on the way! Holi is celebrated all over India in the month of March, to celebrate the beginning of spring. It’s a festival of love, laughter and many colours! However, it’s important to keep in mind how to celebrate Holi in an eco-friendly way.
This beautiful and colourful occasion is celebrated with colorful powders and huge amounts of water, throwing it at one another and creating huge splashes of color all around.
And with the celebration comes a huge amount of wastage, especially of water, balloons and color packaging. But don’t worry! There are several ways to celebrate an eco-friendly Holi, without harming the planet. If you’re planning on spending Holi in India, check out these tips:
1. CELEBRATE WITH NATURAL COLORS
Artificial colors not only are made with harmful chemicals that may cause allergies, but their further washing and disposal may pollute rivers and oceans. Why not opt for making your own powder instead, using only natural ingredients?
You can use turmeric for shades of yellow and choose certain dry flowers and leaves to create different colors. Grind dry neem leaves for a beautiful shade of green, and any dry red flowers for red. Just mix the ground powder with some flour, and your eco-friendly Holi colors are ready! You can also learn how to make eco-friendly Holi colors in this video.
If you prefer to avoid the hassle and buy natural colors instead, you can find them at websites like e-coexist or buy them from brands like Sattvic or Antarktranti at Amazon.in. Antarkranti, apart from making natural colors, supports a social cause as their products are made by former prisoners, rehabilitating them into society. Their page on Amazon is beautiful and graphics are well-made and professional.
Beware that many companies sell colors claiming to be natural or eco-friendly, when they are not. Make sure to read the labels and ask the suppliers what are the ingredients in their products, and opt for reliable or certified companies.
2. DON`T COLOR ANIMALS
It should be needless to say it, but animals can get injured from chemical colors, with allergies and by licking them. Being eco-friendly also means thinking about our lovely pets and animals in the streets. Don’t apply any colors of them, as later they cannot remove it by themselves.
3. REDUCE THE USAGE OF WATER
Holi is always associated with huge amounts of water. Hoses, water balloons, pichkaris and the immense amount of water required to wash off the colors later generate a huge consumption of water (especially in the case of chemical colors, which are hard to remove from the skin). In a country with a big population and limited water supply like India, playing dry Holi instead is always a better idea.
4. CELEBRATE AN ECO-FRIENDLY HOLI WITH FLOWERS!
It is said Krishna used to play Holi with flowers. Isn’t this a beautiful idea? Make your Holi natural by using amazing flower petals! Later, you can reuse them as compost in your garden!
5. AVOID GENERATING TRASH
Buying water balloons and colour packets only create tons of trash every year. By playing a dry Holi with natural homemade colours and flowers you can avoid this problem altogether! After all, every person making small changes in their habits can create a huge change and contribution to the environment.
Did you enjoy our tips? Check out our complete guide on Holi! If you loved this blog, save this pin on your Pinterest board.
