1. Crackers:

• Use eco-friendly cracker - Eco-friendly crackers are safer, non-polluting and cheaper. They only produce lights of different colours and spread paper fluffers. The sound levels produced by them are way under the decibel limits of 125 decibels defined by the Pollution Control Board.
• Use fewer crackers – if you can’t find the eco friendly crackers – reduce the amount of cracker you burn so that you contribute less to the air and noise pollution created by the crackers
• Choose your crackers carefully – go for crackers that produce less smoke and less noise. Brighter the cracker, the more it pollutes. Choose crackers that have not used chid labour.
• Celebrate together - Light crackers with your friends, relatives and neighbours. Pooling your crackers will reduce the total amount of crackers we individually burn while multiplying the joys of celebrating Diwali
  

2. Clothes and accessories:

• Wear clothes that are green and good - wear clothes that spread joy and peace. Try organic cotton apparel this Diwali or buy clothes that are hand made by NGOs and support a disadvantaged person’s livelihood. These are not only beautiful and exclusive but will also win you much admiration of everyone around you.

3. Shopping

• By with less packaging – all of us love to shop during the festival season. But this Diwali be aware of how much plastic you take home with you from the shops. Carry your own bags where ever possible. Where you have to accept plastic, try putting more of your stuff in one plastic bag.
• Gifts with a purpose – spread compassion joy and love this Diwali with eco-friendly gifts or items made by underprivileged

4. Conserve resources

• Use electricity wisely – remember that there are many homes in India that do not have electricity. Our cities are over burdened with demand for electricity leading to long power cuts.  It’s only fair and wise that we use electricity judiciously to celebrate the festival of lights so that we’re never short of it in the future! So, while you’re outside with celebrating turn off the non essential lights inside home
• Use oil lamps: Instead of electric illumination go for traditional lightening of earthen lamps or diyas. Though earthen lamps need oil but the quantity is less and they give light for at least 3-4 hours

5. Be Safe

• Keep a bucket of water near the place where you or your kids are burning crackers
• Keep important emergency phone numbers handy
• Keep a first aid box for small burn and bruises near
  

1. Gift a better world to your children
   While many environmental problems are already here and are already significant, we all know sadly that it’s the kids who will likely be living through the worst of them in the future.  Going green is one of the biggest gifts you can give to your kids for their future.
   
   
2. Save money
   Some green actions like installing solar panels and purchasing electric cars are pretty expensive for most people.  But many others save money or pay for themselves nicely with time.  From using your large car or appliances less to making your home more efficient, there are plenty of ways for families on tight budgets to save money and help the environment at the same time.
   
   
3. Get away from the TV, enjoy what mother nature has to offer
   Going green – one fabulous reason to explore the great outdoors and to get away from the TV! Don’t believe that last statement on saving money?  Get your family up to the library and find many “How To” books on the subject.  Alternatively, you could go as a family to hear a speaker on the environment or get together for outings of all kinds from nature walks, fishing, swimming and camping, to river clean-ups and more. Enjoy mother nature!
   
   
4. Work as a team
   As the kids age they can help out more as your family researches the most eco-friendly products, recycles everything, organizes carpooling, hangs clothing on the line instead of machine drying it, uses the push mower, makes its own stuff, and maybe even sets up a vegetable garden.  So to the extent that some eco friendly actions take more planning or effort, families can be well suited to divvying up the tasks and getting involved.
   
   
5. Meet new people
   Getting involved in green initiatives by carpooling, listening to speakers and working with environmental community groups can be a great way to meet new and interesting people who share your interests.
   
   
6. Being a good role model for others.
   The best way to teach kids about the environment is to be a good role model. When kids see you recycling and being careful with your consumption and taking them outside for a nature walk instead of to the mall, they learn to appreciate the natural world.
   
   
7. Rebel together
   While it may or may not be truly mainstream to be green these days, we all know that we still live in a ‘bigger is better’ society where most people conform to unnecessarily high consumption norms.  There are possibly no bigger rebels than environmentalists.  Be original, be unique, controlling your life how you want to generates respect from others and develops your character. Family support to do this is definitely a huge asset.
   
   
8. Invest in your body for the future II - less toxins = less sickness
   From greener, healthier personal care products and organic foods to greener buildings with fewer toxic substances built into them, going green is a key way to avoid sickness and even serious diseases.  Small children, being particularly vulnerable, undoubtedly need their parent’s help in this respect. Don't expose your children to the huge amount of additives, colors, toxins and chemicals which find their way into our food, products and houses.
   
   
9. Spend more time together - tele-work from home
   One way to reduce your driving is to work from home on occasion by using the internet.  Tele-working is not possible for everyone of course.  But if you can do it, you eliminate plenty of commuting time, allowing you to really be there a lot more for and with your family.
   
   
10. Expand your career possibilities
    There is increasing media focus on environmental problems, and citizens are becoming more concerned about the impact we are having on the health of the environment. The number of environmental problems that need to be tackled in combination with citizen and media focus on these problems means there is demand for environmental professionals. Society needs environmental engineers, lawyers, marketers, policy makers and business people. Going green can help you expand your career possibilities.Check out our collection of simple and practical tips for Going Green….
    

1. Save energy to save money.

• Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
• Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
• Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
• Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying. If you must use a dryer.
  

2. Save water to save money.

• Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
  
• Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
  
• Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

3. Save Oil.

• Walk or bike to your destination if it is close by. This saves you gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
• Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
• Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

4. Eat smart.

• If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
• Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.
• Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

5. Think before you buy.

• Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products.
• When making purchases, make sure you know what “Good Stuff” is and what isn't. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.
• Buy in bulk. Purchasing in bulk can save money and packaging.
  

6. Keep electronics out of the trash.

• Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
• Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.
  

1. Computers & Printers:
   Modern work places without computers are unimaginable and it would be unreasonable for us to be asking you to give up computers to save energy. But you can make computer usage greener by switching off the computer when not in use for more than an hour. It is a mistake to assume that computers do not consume energy in a standby mode. They do. Do not keep you laptop connected to the power source always. You must run your laptop on battery and switch to a wired power source only till the time your battery is charged. Do remember to turn off your printers if not in use at the end of the day and unplug the power source. Do not unplug the printers without turning them off, because the printer needs to close the Ink cartridge caps, else the ink would dry. Order for printers that have the capability to print on both sides of the paper
   
2. Pinter inks:
   Printer inks contain many chemicals that leave a toxic waste while recycling the printed paper. Alternatively there are inks made of Soya that are available in the market. Pls check for such printer inks in the market. Do not use the Color printers unless it is extremely necessary. Also, request your supplied dept to source recycled printing paper for your printers.
   
3. E-copies:
   Use emails and other electronic forms of transferring information effectively. Do not print documents to create box files while the same can be done on your computers using PDF’s that create permanent copies of all important documents. This would reduce the usage of paper and energy that would have been used for printing these documents.
   
   
4. Green Commute to work 
   Indians on an average spend 20 hours per year commuting through rush hour traffic. With 102 Million two wheelers and 7 Million cars, this adds up to 4.3 billion man hours and 200 Million gallons (760 Million liters) of fuel wasted in traffic each year, equivalent to the fuel consumed by Singapore in One year. We can ease some of this strain by carpooling, taking public transit, cycling, walking etc. If there’s no good way to phase out your car, consider getting a hybrid, electric vehicle, fuel efficient motorcycle, scooter, or using a car pooling services like “easy2commute”.
   
   
5. Green Clothing:
   Wear clothes made of Organic fibre to work. Organic cotton clothes are made without harming the environment. Use the dry cleaner sparingly for your clothes and air dry your clothes in summer rather than using a dryer which consumes enormous amounts of energy.
   
6. Work From Home 
   Telecommuting is the buzzword in the west these days. Significant advances in technology such as video conferencing and voice over internet have made working from home a popular choice among companies and employees. This saves companies energy costs in their offices and other overheads, and saves employees the time of commuting. In all, it saves large sums of energy for the world in the process.
   
   
7. Green Workspace:
   Take your laptop and move to the office lawn if your office is wifi connected. Try and work in natural daylight rather than artificial lights during the day time. Use LED table lamps in your office that would consume lesser energy. Use office furniture that is made from recycled materials.
   
   
8. Elevators:
   Use the elevators in your office sparingly. Take the stairs if you have to go down to a dept two or three floor below yours. Elevators account for 20% of the energy consumption in our offices. Do your part to save this energy.