OREANDA-NEWS. The Tata Housing campaign Beautiful is Green (BIG) is a proud advocate of the environment friendly Ganesh festival. This year, Tata Housing Development Company, has taken the lead to limit the serious impact of the festival on the environment due to the immersion of idols made of plaster of Paris into lakes, rivers and the sea.

The Ganesh festival is one of the biggest festivals in India and largest in Mumbai. Traditionally, the idol is sculpted out of mud taken. After the festival, it is returned back to the Earth by immersing it in a water body. This cycle is meant to represent the cycle of creation and conclusion in nature. Over time, plaster is used as cheaper alternate material for idol making. Plaster of Paris is non-biodegradable and insoluble in water. Moreover, the chemical paints used to adorn these plaster idols themselves contain heavy metals like mercury and cadmium, causing water pollution. Also, on immersion, non-biodegradable accessories that originally adorned the idol accumulate in the layers of sand on the beach. Eco-Ganesha is a green alternative which provides the platform for each devotee to make the significant difference.

Speaking on the same, Rajeeb K Dash, head, marketing services, Tata Housing said, “Tata Housing is pleased to be part of a larger awareness campaign on the significance of the eco-friendly Ganesh celebrations. This is in keeping with our commitment to environmental stewardship and conservation. The BIG campaign aims to convert thousands of Ganesh devotees into partners of environmental change.”

Tata Housing’s BIG, is an initiative to help people make a change in any small way they can. The company is using various platforms such as social media, hoardings, advertisements, and websites, to reach out to Mumbaikars and urge them to buy green Ganeshas from select vendors whose products have been ratified. In addition, Mumbaikars can join in the Ganpati buzz by sharing their experiences about the green initiatives undertaken during this auspicious festive celebration and join Tata Housing in a beach-cleaning drive after the Ganpativisarjan.

The BIG campaign is driving many large-scale housing societies and an award ceremony will later be held to facilitate the winners. The programme, launched this week, will focus on involving individuals, households and Ganesh mandals to participate and celebrate the festival in all its sanctity and piousness in an eco-friendly manner. This is a reflection of Tata Housing’s initiative towards social consciousness which aims at bringing citizens together for a greater good of civic society.