MUMBAI: With an aim to inculcating  a sense of responsibility amongst citizens towards creating a better and safer environment, this year Big FM  is back with its sixth edition of Green Ganesha campaign. With an intention to promote eco-friendly idols of Ganesha and de-motive people to use idols made up with non-biodegradable material.

Eco-friendly paper mache Ganesha idols are installed by the network at multiple locations across India. This year Big FM have adopted new concept of installing 8 different idols of Ganesha at eight different locations. “This season we adopted a new concept of installing eight different Ganesha figures across the city because Lord Ganesha is known for his eight different avatars,” says Big FM business head Ashwin Padmanabhan. This year’s campaign will be initiated in eight different cities that will involve Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mysore, Tirupati, Sholapur, Vizag and Mangalore.

Speaking about the new locations, Padmanabhan says, “The cities which are selected and targeted for the campaign falls under the state of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka where this propitious occasion is celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm.”

He further adds, “Although the size and scale may vary for both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka however the Ganesha Chaturthi holds great significance in the states. The aim is to spread awareness about saving environment which will resonate across through the campaign.”

Last year, 11000 kg old newspapers were collected through the paper collection drive which was used to create eco-friendly paper mache Ganesha. “The challenge lies in the process of organizing the collection drive and the collection point’s creation,” says Padmanabhan. “We also want to get the message of eco-friendly across while ensuring we meet with religious sentiments.”

He adds, “Through our programming we aim to bring our listeners and audiences closer to their customs, values and traditions and we hope to create a record with combined efforts.”

Last year, the campaign touched more that 1.5 crore people involving more than 200 celebrities, 350 civic authorities and 35 lakh devotees who visited the pandals. Since its inception in 2008, the campaign not only received numerous awards but also witnessed immense support from the audience.