Raksha Bandhan 2018: Embrace The Swachh Spirit And Celebrate Rakhi In An Eco-Friendly Way

New Delhi: From buying the most beautiful rakhis for our loved ones to treating them with some or the other gift items, Raksha Bandhan is time for indulgence, especially for siblings across India. But, the flip side to all festivities is the trail of waste it leaves behind. So make this Rakhi different. Here are five ways to celebrate a green Raksha Bandhan free from waste.

1. Ditch Traditional Rakhis Instead Get A Plantable Rakhi

This Raksha Banhan, tie a plantable rakhi made using seed papers around your sibling’s wrist

This Raksha bandhan, sow a seed of love and care with a rakhi that grows into a plant. Instead of buying a traditional rakhi that is decorated with small plastic items, select a plantable rakhi which is made from seedpaper. So when the celebrations are over, instead of discarding the Rakhi and adding to garbage burden, sow it and nurture it into a plant.

30-year-old Divyanshu Asopa invented ‘Beej-Kapas’, a special paper that grows into a plant when sowed in the soil. Today, his company 21 Fools is known for making eco-friendly greeting cards, wedding cards, corporate cards, coasters, tags, paper bags and calendars, products that have a limited shelf life and traditionally end up in garbage pile, but not these one. Products of Beej Kapas grow into a plant. For Raksha Bandhan, Divyanshu has invented these special plantable rakhis that are available on the official site at a cost price of Rs. 200. What makes these products different is the design – each rakhi is decorated with the real dry/waste leaf and is made using colourful seed papers. Even the packaging of the rakhi is done using biodegradable materials – the box is made using waste cotton and instead of plastic and paper to support the rakhi, coconut fibre is used.

Also Read: Make A Green Choice This Raksha Bandhan, Opt For Rakhis That Turn Into Plants

2. Decorate With Green Rangoli

Make use of natural ingredients to make eco-friendly rangoli

Instead of using the usual dyes and colours for rangoli, go natural – use pulses, rice and leaves. Make natural hues with turmeric powder and kungummum (kumkum), flower petals, ground beetroot, dried orange peels – the options are many .

3. Think Creatively And Give Upcycled Gifts

Gift an upcycled bookshelf to your bibliophile sibling and get all the love

Chocolates, cookies, cakes, jewellery, or clothes, take a break from conventional ideas. Use materials lying idle at home to make a gift for your loved ones. From home décor or utility items such as lamps made from old glass bottles, jewellery box made from old cardboards to bags made from old denims, let imagination loose.

Also Read: Raksha Bandhan 2018: This Rakhi Ditch The Usual Gifts From Market And Upcycle To Go Green

4. Gift A Sapling

Image Courtesy: Pinterest
This Raksha Bandhan, gift a plant and let your sibling nurture it like your bond

This one is for those who want to make an environment-friendly statement with their gift.

Also Read: Five Organisations That Plant Trees Across India On Your Behalf

5. Move Over Plastic Packaging

Image Courtesy: Pinterest
Go green: Use brown covers to wrap the gift and write the name of your loved one using cut outs from comics

Last but not the least, plastic is an absolute no, no! Shiny, glittery plastic wrapping papers are not for those going green. Instead opt for recycling – newspaper for wrapping gifts or simply put the gift in a canvas bag. After all every gesture makes a difference.

Also Read: Move Over Plastic, Here Is How You Can Wrap Up Gifts Without Generating Waste

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.