There are simply too many sites, too much coverage in newspapers and a general chaos on this subject. Due to increased awareness through media, more and more people every year have begun to celebrate major festivals like Ganesh Utsav in an eco-friendly way.

The most popular idols which are used widely (Non eco-friendly) are made up of Plaster of Paris (POP) which converts into gypsum when it comes into contact with water and proves to be a toxin to the marine life and creatures in the seas, oceans and creeks. The colours used on such idols contain heavy metals which causes a fish and other creatures to die in large numbers every year.

But what is generally seen is that, though a lot of people discuss this issue, very few people/websites give hands-on information about where to get the eco-friendly idols from and what are the various alternatives.

there are a few sites like www.greenbappa.com, mpcb.gov.in ,www.e-coexist.com which give details about where to buy eco-freindly idols from. Eco-friendly idols of Ganesha that are widely available are of Shadu (river clay) and Papier Mache.

One more important way to celebrate the festival in an environmentally conscious way is to opt for eco-friendly decorations instead of thermocol decoration which a large number of families and Pandals opt for. Thermocol is a non-biodegradable substance and doesnt disintegrate. Eco-friendly versions of the same are available in paper, jute and bamboo. Another way would be to use the same decorations and idol/statue every year to aviod pollution.

Hopefully, in the coming years, a lot of children and youngsters who are more aware about this issue will be converting their parents into eco-warriors and spreading the cause of eco-friendly celebration of festivals into a big way and thus protecting the environment.