Thread by @SudhaRamenIFS

Is it possible for Indian weddings to be eco-friendly &a low waste one?

This was a big question I had in my mind for many years. Then came an occasion to find d answers to my Big question. We had to plan for my parents in-laws Sathabhishekam(80th birthday& wedding ceremony) 1/n

As a family, we decided to do d following during d wedding,
1.Minimal flower decoration which otherwise goes waste after single use.
2.Utilisé reusable decorator materials like cloths&ribbons.
3.We went with banana leaf service & avoided buffets with disposable plates 2/n

4.We tried using mud baked tumblers for serving tea/coffee/water. Though it was a cumbersome process to source d suppliers, transport safe(Indian Railways🙏), cleanse them & check for leakages, it was worth all d efforts as the water served in those wares tasted good. 3/n

5. Return gifts was a cloth Vegetable Bag with seven partitions with an idea to promote the use of cloth bags instead of plastic bags. This bag will suit the shopping needs be it procuring vegetables or other provisioneries.
6. No use of plastic wrappers or flex banners 4/n

7.Returns gifts were distributed in paper bags
8.Excess food was distributed to the needy soon after the wedding
9.Minimal offerings were made during d homams conducted at d ceremony
10.All d cups used at dining to serve sweets were made of palm or bagasse with wood spoons 5/n

All these attempts were done on a trail basis. What I learnt after this was that,
1. it is really difficult to source eco friendly products bulk suppliers,
2. There is an illusion that the cost of the eco friendly products is very high than the commonly available single use 6/n

Plasticwares. Yes, actually it is slightly on a higher end! But considering d environmental benefits, it is worth to pay this slight high price.

We had about 600+ invitees who attended the ceremony, as the earthen wares went short, we had to use bottled waters at the end. 7/n

Planning & going for a low waste wedding was fruitful not only for d hearty reviews we got but for d sense of satisfaction we had.

The answer I found is - Yes! Eco-friendly& low waste weddings is possible in India without compromising d religious rituals &regional culture. 8/n

I'm sharing these just to sensitise that small steps towards eco friendly living will give large results. I hope this long thread will help someone to plan their family events. Together we can!

Venue: Pondicherry