Are St Patrick’s Day Celebrations Really Green?

The Chicago River turns green every year in remembrance of St Patrick, who used the Shamrock, a little green three-leaved plant, in his religious discourses about the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people. Not only this, millions are spent every year on painting streets, and turning whole areas green, including fountains, streams and the like. Has anyone given a thought to the effect all this ‘greening’ has on the environment?

Artificial colors are used in the coloring of the rivers and the streams, greatly adding to the already heavily polluted environment that we humans have been contributing to over the past few centuries. Imagine the effect on fish and other aquatic creatures this must be having. Millions of fish get affected every year thanks to this mindless activity, and the effect is there to be seen on the entire food chain.

Thousands gallons of paint are used each year in creating the right ‘green’ atmosphere for the event. I need not elaborate here on the effect of petrochemical based paints on the environment, which have been well documented all over.

Green chart papers and green decorations used for the event do their own bit in adding to the degradation of the environment. How many trees are cut and how many dyes used each year to create the ‘green’ paper used for these decorations?

Suffice to say that surely there are better ways of honoring the Saint, who would have never ever imagined the kind of celebrations his divine work would generate centuries later. Surely the Saint would have never liked the destruction of the environment in his name.

So what should you do to make your contribution to making the St Patrick’s Day actually ‘green’ in the real sense of the term?

In a small but significant way, each person can contribute. For instance,

You could plant a green plant or a green tree to celebrate the event.
Gift green predominant cut flower bouquets to your friends and relatives to celebrate.
You can avoid adding to the degradation of the environment by retaining some of the decorations and clothing of the last year and reusing it for the current event.
Join a campaign for removal of artificial symbols of honor like greening of water bodies.

Let us add to the environment on this special St Patrick’s Day, and take a small step towards a better Earth for our future generations.

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