Thejaneinuo and Khriesasielie lead the way to ‘zero waste’ wedding
Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | October 27
With the wedding season already in full swing, there is bound to be plenty of waste generation from the big, lavish Naga weddings, which has become a rage these days.
While most couples make elaborate plans to celebrate this special occasion, they tend to forget how much garbage and waste an average wedding produces. The celebrations and the environmental damage often go hand in hand. However, few couples in the recent past have been setting a refreshing example with eco-friendly weddings - by going all the way to minimize waste and making it a green celebration as possible. Thejaneinuo Kaco and Khriesasielie Rüpreo are one such couple who made a conscious decision to have a green wedding and their efforts have well, paid off.
“Zero waste is a part of me, and so, I thought why not give it a go”, Thejaneinuo Kaco said. “People say one individual cannot contribute much and question how much can he/she do for environmental pollution or zero waste. But when you look at it, thousands of people come to a wedding and thousands of plastic bottles, plates, cups etc are discarded, generating a huge amount of waste.”
A firm believer that one person can really contribute and make a difference, when she tied the knot with the love of her life on October 6, 2017 at the NSF Solidarity Park, Kohima, the couple made sure that they used eco-friendly products for everything possible.
“We used paper cups and areca leaves for the plates and cutleries, and opted for the 20 litre water bottle dispenser, where you have to serve yourself instead of the small mineral water bottles”, she explained.
Stressing that zero waste is not only about buying and making it useable but also reusing and recycling, she said, “We used newspapers, shoe boxes (for the base) and jute (as handle) to make carry bags for muodi, which was traditionally packed in bamboo leaves as wedding favours.”
Clearly, their wedding settled for mostly environment friendly things - paper napkins and cups, bamboo dustbins, and very minimal decoration, still making it a beautiful setting apt for the occasion.
Kaco goes on to say that there were no flowers on the aisle except a small bunch of flowers with lanterns and candles. “For the buffet tables, we made use of what was at home.”
While some of her family members were very supportive of her idea, initially, she recalled having a very hard time convincing some of them, who opposed to the idea of not using mineral water bottles, for instance, citing the inconvenient it would create for the guests.
But at the end of the day, the wedding turned out to be just as lovely and with hardly any waste. The ‘green wedding’ was also a takeaway for those who attended the event.
“I have been receiving calls from friends and well-wishers post wedding, appreciating and asking for tips on buying or making environment-friendly products,” she said.
She also acknowledges the Sustainable Development Forum Nagaland (SDFN), which she joined over four years ago for planting on her the seed of ‘zero waste.’ She is currently working as Program Officer in the SDFN.
And rest assured, a ‘green wedding’ will not consume away your budget or sanity, as Thejaneinuo puts it, “No, we did not spend more.”
