Green Ganesha

Aala re Aaala Ganpati Aala… One of the most awaited festivals of India is back with a bang! And it arrives at a time when we are surrounded by the gloom of recession, drought and swine flu. However, none of that reduces the joy of bringing home the Vignaharta. We at GC sincerely pray that Ganesha gets us out of all this trouble.

With that sweet little wish, we introduce you to GC’s Green Ganesha Campaign 2009 – a chance for you to do your bit. We’re not asking for much. All you need to do is read through this blog and pass on some of the interesting wallpapers, ringtones and messages that we send across to you. We are sure Ganesha will bestow his blessings on each one who puts in efforts to ensure that not only is He brought home with dignity and respect, but also his visarjan is done in the same respectful manner. In a manner that does not harm the environment. In a way that does not harm the very humans that worship him for giving them a gift of life.

Steps to a Green Ganesha celebration:

1. Eco-friendly decorations: WHY eco-friendly? Everyone’s using normal decorations- ‘Ek jan se kya farak padta hai?’ At GC, we believe, each one can bring about a change. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. And so, we urge you to take these small steps towards making a big difference.

Let us scare you with some facts, which you may already know, but chose to ignore:

Plastic and Thermocol are:
Non-biodegradable- Because plastic and thermocol do not decompose, they keep accumulating. One plastic bag takes about 1000 years to decompose. Plastic and thermocol photo-degrade, which means they break up into smaller pieces of plastic until eventually becoming plastic dust Release poisonous gases on burning- Plastic and thermocol release poisonous gases on burning which cause respiratory problems when inhaled and can even be fatal

Difficult to recycle- Thermocol and plastic are extremely difficult to recycle as they cannot be broken down completely

Pollute water and spread diseases- Thermocol and plastic obstruct the flow of streams leading to floods during rains. Also, obstructed water turns stagnant, spreading diseases and health risks

Pollute the food chain- About 100,000 marine animals such as dolphins, turtles whales, penguins etc. are killed every year due to plastic bags. These animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food, and therefore die. What’s worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal.

We, therefore, urge you to do away with these two substances. Having said that, we provide you with some simple alternatives that you can opt for, not only this Ganesh Ustav but for every celebration in your life.

For alternative decorations and more, click here

2. Clean disposal of the waste generated during visarjan Why do we have to bother about this? BMC hai na?

Everyone celebrates and wholeheartedly throws garbage but only one body (with manpower of around 0.4% of the citizens of Mumbai) takes charge of cleaning. No wonder the city remains unclean! It’s not because BMC doesn’t do its job properly, it’s because it’s the citizens who don’t! So let’s stop blaming and let’s start doing.

Correct garbage disposal:

What’s disposed? - Flowers and offerings - Plastic bags containing flowers and offerings - Plastic bottles (mineral water bottles, etc.), eatables, etc.

What is the right place for disposal?

- Flowers and offerings – Use nirmalaya kalash or collection pots placed at every beach, exclusively meant for disposal of offerings for Ganeshotsav.

- Plastic bags - Carry your offerings in paper bags or wrap them in newspapers instead. Avoid plastic bags.

- Plastic bottles, eatables, etc. – Use dustbins to dispose off plastic bottles, eatables, wrappers, etc. If you can’t find a dustbin in your vicinity, keep it in your bag till you locate one

3. Eco-friendly immersion

Use artificial immersion tanks for immersion. This will help make sure that the sea water is not polluted and the marine life is saved.

To get a list of artificial immersion tanks in the city, click here
Easy, wasn’t it? Just a few simple steps to celebrate a clean and green Ganesh Ustav.
Help us reach out. Spread this message to one and all.

Now that you’re a step closer to celebrating an eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav, why not sport some interesting wallpapers and amusing ringtones. You can also download the video you just saw to your mobile phone and pass it on to others. Let’s put our online social networking to use and spread the goodness to many more.

And last but not the least, have a smashing Ganesh Ustav. If you do your bit, we’re sure you’ll be high in priority in Ganesha’s list of granting wishes.

Downloads

Wallpapers-

Wallpaper1
Wallpaper2
Wallpaper3
Ringtones (for mobile phone download, click here)
Video (for mobile download-3gp file, click here)
Artificial immersion tanks in Mumbai