Vision, goals and objectives
The vision at Himalayan Circuit is to create a cleaner, more environmentally friendly approach to tourism in Nepal. The organisation aims to create a generation of conscientious travellers who will be inspired to clean up in other places they travel to. This vision is not limited to litter picking but to recycling and not using single-use plastics among other things. Due to the climate crisis, the world faces, the Himalayan Circuit uses its platform to educate and assist in the conscious effort to reduce carbon footprint and slow down climate change. One hindrance Himalayan Circuit is aware of is that they cannot control other people leaving litter on treks. Thus, they can only account for Himalayan Circuit treks not littering and initiating clean up en-route.
The goal is to reduce waste by 10 % each season which will have a positive impact on Nepal over the course of each year. By maintaining high standards of education in the area, the organisation can raise the bar each year and exceed expectations. They are committed to protecting the environment of Nepal and contributing to the global cause of making cleaner earth whilst contributing to the battle of climate change. They recognise the percentages are low, but realistically with the amount of litter on the mountains and the safety of the team, they have to have manageable sustainable numbers and as they work through the initial stages of the cleanup, they can amend and revisit their methods to increase targets and goals appropriately. To maintain momentum and commitment, they feel that using 10% is achievable and will encourage trekkers to go above and beyond when travelling to clean up the mountains. Also, as this isn’t their personal mess, they will need to be encouraged to complete the initiative.
The objective is to see an overall reduction of waste by 75% by the year 2030 with the view for this to be reviewed every quarter to see if targets are hit.
Expected implementation and outcomes
Project plan
The Himalayan Circuit treks that last 30 days usually consist of up to 30 trekkers. The organisation knows how many meals each trekker will have and where it sources that food. The aim is to reduce waste by using reusable containers and environmentally friendly plastics. If each trekker collects 1kg of waste per week, there is a reduction of 120kg of mountain waste per 30 days trek on average. The targets are low on purpose as people thrive on achieving results and will be encouraged to pick up more. At the moment, trekkers are expected to carry the waste in provided bags, however, talks with porters have been initiated about how the 1kg target could be exceeded. Monitoring of the activity will happen every three months to see if goals are achieved and how the initiative can be improved.
Key tasks
Each trekker will be responsible for their designated amount. Ownership is put onto them for their responsibility of mountain clean up, though it is stressed, this cannot be forced only encouraged. The organisation acknowledges, at times, treks can be too dangerous to pick up litter and climb, when those situations arise safety of the people is put first. Himalayan Circuit knows its treks and what is achievable. The plan is fluid to accommodate these instances. During times where it is completely safe to do so, the organisation will ensure that tourists are keeping up with their agreement. The trekkers are there to explore and see Nepal rather than purely cleaning up.