KOCHI: With Kerala planning to ban the manufacture, sale and storage of plastic products from next year to encourage the implementation of ‘green protocol’, not only stores or malls but events are also going the ‘eco-friendly’ way. Daksh Events, a Thrissur-based event management company, recently conducted the first ‘Go Green’ wedding in the state.
The company, which has already conducted many national and international conferences in Thrissur based on the green concept was keen on organising an eco-friendly wedding. “I used to put forth the idea whenever a client approached me. However, they were not willing. Clients were concerned about the acceptance of this concept by the people,” says Dhishan, the founder of Daksh Events.
Arun Kumar, a neighbour of Dhishan, wanted a modest wedding reception function and approached him. That’s when the idea of a ‘green wedding’ was discussed. “At first, Arun was sceptical about the idea.” Later trusting Dhishan’s previous ventures, Arun opted for a completely ‘green’ wedding.
“Our aim was that every object in the party hall should send an eco-friendly message to people. The stage decoration was the most challenging part. The flowers on stage are pinned on oasis foam which has a lot of carbon. So we replaced oasis with banana stems. Around 250 banana leaves were used for decorating the stage and the hall,” adds Dhishan.
The plates for the event were made from the leaves of areca nut trees. Glasses were made of clay. Water was served in kooja pots. Baskets made of straw were used to collect used plates. The T-shirts of catering employees had ‘Say no to plastic’ slogan printed on them.
Dhishan asserts that the response from people was overwhelming and the bride (Aswathy) and groom were really happy with the decor. “The greatest recognition was that District Collector S Shanavas shared the event’s picture on his Facebook page. It is a huge recognition for our efforts.”
The guests were gifted with bean and brinjal plant seeds and a bag inscribed with ‘Say no to plastic’ message. Dhishan believes that with this initiative being a success, more couple will be enthused to have green weddings in the state soon.
“There are people who spend nearly Rs 50 lakh on weddings. Arun had to spend only around Rs 3-4 lakh for his wedding reception. Going green will extensively cut down the expenditure. The only difference is that we have to put in more effort for the decors and time. For instance, arranging flowers with the help of oasis foam will take an hour or so. The same will take 3-3.5 hours with banana stems. But going eco-friendly gives you a sense of satisfaction,” says Dhishan.