In yet ANOTHER bold leap towards the future, the Kerala government has taken it upon itself to initiate green weddings - those that are in liaison with the environment. The aim of the government is to reduce the waste that is generated at these weddings, ultimately heading towards zero-waste weddings. At the moment, talks are already underway between the government and socio-religious bodies, who will help in the implementation of the policy.
According to this report by The Times of India, district administrations in Kannur, Idukki and Ernakulam have already launched “awareness programmes” on the environmental impact of weddings as they are, and the change that can be brought in by going green. “The churches in Idukki have already offered their support for the initiative and we are also expecting the Waqf board to join us. The district administrations of Kannur and Alappuzha have formally urged the public to follow green protocol during wedding parties and other functions,” said C V Joy, the state director of the Suchitwa Mission.
The Suchitwa Mission is an organization of Government of Kerala, under the Local Self Government Department responsible for evolving implementation strategy, providing policy in the sectors of sanitation and waste management issues. They have provided technical inputs for sanitation and waste management projects and have functioned as the nodal agency for assisting Cities, Municipalities and Panchayats in sanitation and waste management aspects, according to their website. This organization is what propelled the state to promote green policies at the National Games, the Attukala Ponkala and the Malayatoor Perunal, and this has spurred the movement to extend towards wedding celebrations and other socio-religious events. According to this report by The Outlook, “C V Joy said that apart from wedding parties and religious festivals, Iftar meets in the month of Ramadan, would also come under the programme.”
If having been declared an open-defecation free state, setting up sanitary pad vending machines and hosting the country’s first transgender sports meet wasn’t enough, this new move continues to show Kerala paving the path towards progressive and liberal policy and ideology. It is about time policy is driven towards reducing wastage, and we can only hope that this initiative is carried through.
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