Tradition and Food waste
In the name of tradition, people waste lot of food resources - both in the west and in the subcontinent. It is a Halloween tradition to carve a big pumpkin to make it look scary. But then they throw it away afterwards. It leads to a lot of food waste. Instead of throwing away a good Pumpkin, try to make a pumpkin pie or soup instead? If you insist on carving then there is a better alternative. Try carving a smaller turnip instead of the bigger pumpkin. Turnip carving also happens to be a old tradition in some places in northern England for that matter. Similarly, in the Indian context, I would discuss ash gourds. There is a tradition of hanging ash gourds or breaking those at the entrance of a house during religious ceremonies to ward off evil spirits. It is just a waste of ash gourds. Instead make a sweet dessert? In this regard small lemons are a better alternative to ash gourds. People typically quench lemons under the wheels of an automobile to ward off bad luck. Being smaller in