The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is hosted in Goa each year. This state has been the permanent venue since 2004, and has become competitive globally. The State government of Goa and the National Film Development Corporation of India, which falls under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, together hold it.
The stunning Peacock being the National Bird of India is part of the permanent insignia of IFFI along with the motto ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which means ‘The Whole World is a Family’.
However, during such large scale festivals, a lot of waste -- from single use bottled water to food packaging is produced. The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) does not let any waste that it gathers into landfills.
However, any small trash left on the streets and not picked up, or any trash outside of Panjim in this state, if not recycled, would essentially find itself in some form of a landfill. Animals and birds consume plastic daily from streets, seas, open areas or landfills.
FESTIVE WASTE
While it is necessary to recycle inevitable waste, it is important to reduce it and refuse. By doing so with single use items, it will relieve the load on resources before, and after its use, thereby reducing the carbon footprint. Goa, being located on the coast, adds an extra urgency to make this change.
According to Cineuropa, “Energy, waste, food and transportation were the four themes of the panel discussion covering most of the ecological impact of any film festival. The Palić European Film Festival also actively promotes green transport, choosing electric or hybrid cars for logistics purposes. Under the glitter, the carpet! 2 km of red carpet and 56 metric tons of standard carpet are recycled.”
So here’s what else IFFI can do:
1. Segregate waste at source
Have proper segregation of waste at source so that nobody else will have to manually handle one’s trash. Place all the different bins in each possible corner so all options of segregation are clearly visible. If that is not possible, place the list of all options on each bin so the right bin can be looked for.
Highlight the trash type on each bin where the action is. For example, if the bin cover needs to be opened, then trash type should be mentioned on the cover.
2. Skip plastic and biodegradable disposables
PET bottles and other plastics should be refused as they leach out microplastics and are far more complex to recycle compared to aluminium cans and glass bottles.
In fact, glass bottles can be cleaned and reused. In case of biodegradables, cutlery and crockery, reusables win as they have a lower carbon footprint.
3. Switch off
The city is lit up with lights. Switch them off during the day, and after a certain time at night, to conserve electricity. Try to use renewable sources of energy to power these.
4. Reuse decor
A lot of decor has been created. It would be best if they could be reused each year. And, if new ones are needed, then they could be upcycled or more eco-friendly materials can be used.
So, let’s be more sustainable for our peacocks and his friends, and truly live up to the motto – ‘The whole world is family’.