The dawn was tender and pleasant when the veil of darkness unfolded. The sunrays streaked through the canopy lighting up a huge banyan tree that was surrounded by scrub and deciduous patches of forests. In front of the banyan tree was an amphitheatre. Nature by itself decorated the place with leaves that flew in tune with the gentle breeze. This setting hosted an unusual wedding conducted in an ecologically sensitive way.
There were no glossy wedding invitations printed in hundreds. No synthetic decorations. Heaps of solid waste was nowhere to be seen as the food was served in proper plates. Drinking water was available in a few dispensers and not in hundreds of tiny mineral water bottles.
The simple and elegant wedding made me reflect once again about the importance of practising conservation in our everyday life.
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With 10 million weddings happening in India every year, the amount of waste that is produced by them would run in the millions of tonnes! Imagine the heaps of plastic bottles piled up and thousands of non-degradable materials like plastic plates that are disposed after every wedding. These end up in ever expanding dumpyards that gradually encroach upon wetlands and grasslands.
We cannot afford such rampant consumerism because everything we use in our daily life is made using resources that are reaped from the earth that are reducing day by day. During the time of independence, India’s population was around 300 million people. Today it has increased by four-folds but the expanse of India’s protected forests and wildlife reserves have shrunk to less than 5% of the total landmass.
As the population and demand for goods increase, more forests will be destroyed to cater to the demand for natural resources. While development is essential, our wildlife and forests should not be destroyed in the name of economic progress because they support our everyday life in various ways starting from providing us water through rivers and monsoon. Nature can thrive extremely well without us. But, we cannot survive without nature. In a scenario like this, conservation becomes a vital necessity.
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While every action of ours has an impact on nature, we must do all it takes to offset our impact. There are effective energy and water conservation measures that can be practised in our houses. Organic waste can be recycled into compost. Sometimes, the materials that we buy can be ‘upcycled’ from already existing ones. Events and weddings can be organised in an ecologically sensitive way.
As a new year begins, I hope we reflect on our impact on nature and make a resolution to develop conservation as our lifestyle and follow it too.
(The author is an award-winning nature photographer and co-founder of the Youth for Conservation. In this monthly column he talks about his passion for nature, photography and conservation.)