The trends of environment-friendly weddings are gathering momentum in Kerala. A Suchithwa Mission is spreading awareness and encouraging people to opt ‘Green-Marriage’ in their marriage ceremonies taking place at their homes.
Earlier a north Indian couple set an example by opting for environment-friendly marriage which was liked by people and the marriage pictures went viral on social media. Now the Suchithwa Mission is helping people to go green in marriages using banana leaves and steel glasses for the wedding feast, and natural flowers for the ceremony.
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It is happening slowly. Only 24 weddings in the state between April 2017 and March 2018 conformed to the standards of a ‘green wedding’; of this 12 were held in Kannur, and five in Malappuram. This year, with the support of the local bodies, the Suchithwa Mission wants to bring at least 80 per cent of the weddings in the state under the ‘green protocol’. It is not just the weddings. From November 1, the conduct of all government functions and public gatherings or programmes attended by ministers will also be governed by the protocol.
How are green marriages arranged?
Marriages in India are known for its extravagance and Kerala too is famous for fat Indian weddings. This was why the Mission chose weddings as the first in the list of personal events to be turned eco-friendly.
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The conversion will be carried out on mission mode. Local representatives, including the ward member, will visit the houses where marriages are to be held and will educate the parents or whoever was organising the affair on the need to go green. Since weddings are mostly about feasting, the change has to happen particularly in the way food is served.
A wedding spread is laid not just on the wedding day. It is also done during the days preceding the main event. It is estimated that nearly 7000 disposable plates and glasses would be used and thrown on an average during each wedding. So, the first step is to use banana leaves and steel glasses for the feast.
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The decorations used for the venue would be natural flowers, and food waste would be turned to compost. Excess food would be distributed at hospitals or orphanages. At such green weddings, the bride and groom would be presented with a memento by the district panchayat president, district collector and an official from the Suchitwa Mission. Certified ‘green couple’.
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There are 183 state-level nodal officers in various departments along with district level nodal officers in various departments along with district level nodal officers to implement the green protocol. More than 152 events throughout the state, including the religious festivals, sports meet and art festivals were made green last year.
