5 Sustainable Practices for a Green Holi in 2025
Holi hai! The most colourful time of the year is right here. This festival is something else. It’s time to paint the town red (and pink, green, yellow, or any colour you like). It is the time to get back in a gang with your friends, cousins, family, neighbours, and everyone to just splash lots of colours on them. Getting drenched, basking in the madness, dancing to favourite songs, and looking totally insane is what Holi is all about.
But amidst all the colourful chaos, let’s not forget our beloved planet! No, we are not here to tell you to not celebrate this heavenly festival or to cut down your happiness, but we are just telling you to be mindful in some simple steps. The steps are going to help the planet, sure, but also going to help you! Keep reading, and it’s okay, we all love a little benefit added on to our sides.
As we gear up for Holi 2025, let’s make a conscious effort to celebrate sustainably. We will start small, but these small steps are going to help the planet massively. As they say, every step counts, and so does every effort from every individual in this case. Ditch the toxic colours, recycle those plastic pichkaris, and get creative with eco-friendly decorations. As an adult, there are a plethora of things you can do on Holi to make it sustainable and also help future generations with it.
Warning: this Holi is about to get a whole lot greener! We’re talking flower petal colours, coconut shell pichkaris, and DIY decorations that’ll make you go, ‘Wow, I’m a sustainable superhero!’ This is going to make you so proud of yourself, to say the least! So, ditch the boring old ways and join the eco-friendly Holi revolution! Maybe they are not boring as they brought joy to us when we were kids, but now we need to break the pattern for something meaningful.
Your planet (and your skin) will thank you. Let’s make this Holi a vibrant celebration of colour, community, and sustainability. Who’s with me? In this post, we’ll share 5 simple yet impactful sustainable practices to make your Holi celebrations vibrant and guilt-free. Let’s get this green party started!
- A No-Brainer: Choose Eco-Friendly Colours
You must have already guessed this; we know you are smart people! But since it’s an easy alternative, we are still going to put this up on our blog. Ditch the chemical chaos and opt for eco-friendly colours instead! Before the planet, it is your skin that is going to thank you for this. Traditional Holi colours (pakka rang) are often made from harsh chemicals that can harm your skin and the environment. Switch to natural dyes like turmeric, beetroot, and indigo, which are not only gentle on your skin but also biodegradable. You can make your own colours as well.
You can also explore plant-based colour options like flower petals, leaves, and herbs. But, if this is too much of a task for you, you can simply organic colours. There are a lot of homegrown brands that are coming up with gorgeous natural colours, these days. There are so many gorgeous colour variations available as well. You can also get your hands on neon and pastel colours too.
Not only this, opting for this particular colour also saves hours of your shower time post-playing Holi. This is the toughest and the most strenuous task and this choice will save you from that. So, what more do you want to convince yourself?
- Goes without Saying: Avoid ‘excessive’ Water Wastage
Oh no, yet another ‘save water on Holi’ speech? Well, no! We understand that Holi is an important festival and lots of emotions are attached to it, so we are not going to promote ‘save water’ just on this day. But, we are going to say how to be mindful about water consumption on this day. Holi and water – a match made in heaven, right? And, who are we to break this connection? But, let’s make this connection healthy for everyone and even for the planet.
While it’s tempting to go all out with those water balloons and pichkaris, let’s understand that throwing balloons at strangers or anyone is not acceptable. This act is wrong and if this is not done, we are saving unnecessary water wastage as well. Now, instead of throwing buckets of water on each other, use pich karis and water guns to splash water and get your friends drenched.
So, this Holi, let’s make a splash (pun intended!) with water conservation! Use recycled water as this can be really helpful. There are still a few days before Holi, so start recycling water. Take shorter showers and this can be possible if you use natural colours, and avoid those pesky water balloons. Every drop counts and your planet will thank you for being a water warrior without compromising on your fun!
- No Plastic: Eco-Friendly Decorations
Decorations are a major part of Holi celebrations. Of course, there is a huge difference between Diwali and Holi decorations, but Holi parties are no fun without decorations. Even the streets and gullies are lit with fun decor to jazz up the Holi spirit. Now, let’s tell you how you can deck the halls (and streets, and homes) with eco-friendly decorations! Ditch the plastic banners, balloons, and streamers, and get creative with sustainable alternatives instead. Even if you are not hosting any parties, you can still go a little out of your way to tell the party planners and others to switch to eco-friendly decorations. You can do your part, at least!
Think paper flowers, biodegradable garlands, and DIY decorations made from natural materials like leaves, twigs, and flowers. There are so many alternatives and you can obviously research on the same. Not only will you be reducing plastic waste, but you’ll also be adding a touch of unique, handmade charm to your Holi celebrations. So, get crafty and let the eco-friendly decor extravaganza begin.
If you have old pich karis and water guns, it is also good to reuse them instead of buying the new fancy ones.
- Go Traditional: Play Phoolon Wali Holi
The best places to celebrate Holi are Vrindavan and Mathura. But, if you cannot visit these places, you can always bring these places back to your place. Well, not exactly the place but the vibe of the place! How so you ask? Well, that can be done by introducing to play phoolon wali Holi instead of playing the normal Holi. This is going to be something different, fancy, and totally out of the box.
It’s time to go ethnic with Holi celebrations. This traditional Indian celebration involves showering each other with flowers, petals, and natural colours. It is so beautiful and you cannot imagine how happy it will make you. Not only is it a beautiful way to connect with nature, but it’s also a great way to reduce waste and promote eco-friendly fun. Plus, this is also something new.
So, gather your friends, grab some flowers, and get ready to bloom into a greener, more gorgeous Holi! You are going to get so many good pictures in this Holi setup. It is also a great way to pay homage to the OG Indian Holi celebrations. Try this new type of Holi and see how that feels. You are going to feel lighter and prettier for sure!
- Post Holi Errands: Community Clean-up
Now that the party’s over, now comes the time to be a responsible citizen. Holi is played on the streets and open areas which means lots of dirt accumulation. So, a responsible citizen always takes care of the after-effects to make sure the place is clean. Hey, but the fun doesn’t have to stop! Gather your squad and get ready for a post-Holi community clean-up extravaganza! This doesn’t have to be boring. It can be something inspiring and fun!
Don’t forget those gloves, grab some trash bags, and let’s get to work. Pick up those colourful scraps, dispose of waste responsibly, and leave your community sparkling like new. What a great way to end Holi!
Conclusion
Dear Holi 2025, you’ve been officially ‘greenified’! What do you mean this word does not exist? Here, we coined it now! With these five sustainable practices, you’ve not only saved the planet from a gazillion plastic pichkaris, but you have also informed the newer generation about all these. So, you see how far you went with just simple steps? You’ve also added a dash of eco-friendly fabulousness to your celebrations!
Was there even a tinge that showed that you did not enjoy? No, while you were busy enjoying, you were also saving the planet. So go ahead, colour outside the lines (with natural dyes, of course!), dance in the streets, and make this Holi one for the books. Happy Holi, and see you next year, with even more green goodies. May your life be extremely colourful with non-harmful colours.
Holi hai! The most colourful time of the year is right here. This festival is something else. It’s time to paint the town red (and pink, green, yellow, or any colour you like). It is the time to get back in a gang with your friends, cousins, family, neighbours, and everyone to just splash lots…