Offering flowers to Hindu Gods and Goddesses is a common practice in India, but the flowers left behind are polluting India's rivers with toxic pesticides, which is why one organization called Help Us Green is collecting the used petals and turning them into incense.
The clever process recycles the flowers so they can continue to serve a religious and cultural purpose without harming the environment. In addition to the environmental impact, Help Us Green employs 1,200 local women to collect the petals. According to the company, those women who struggled to find work now make more money than their husbands.
The company's website states that over 335,000 kilograms of flower petals have been collected from temples.
Religious Flower Petal Recycling
Help Us Green is Recycling Salvaged Flower Petals into Incense
Trend Themes
1. Flower Petal Recycling - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Developing innovative recycling methods for salvaged flower petals to create sustainable products.
2. Environmental Impact - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Implementing eco-friendly solutions to reduce pollution caused by religious practices.
3. Women Empowerment - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Creating employment opportunities and empowering women through sustainable initiatives.
Industry Implications
1. Sustainable Recycling - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Building a recycling industry that repurposes salvaged flower petals into various sustainable products.
2. Eco-friendly Products - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Developing and manufacturing environmentally friendly incense and other products from recycled flower petals.
3. Social Enterprise - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Establishing socially responsible businesses that empower marginalized communities through sustainable employment opportunities.