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Planning a Trek: Minimizing Your Impact on the Environment & People
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Socially Responsible Trekking--
There's just no getting around the fact that trekking has had a profound effect on Nepal-just ask the kid wearing the Titanic T-shirt or the old man in the Chicago Bulls baseball hat. Villages that once depended primarily on farming now focus their energy on catering to trekkers. Plastic water bottles float in remote mountain streams, and children greet trekkers with cries of "one rupee, one rupee" (and sometimes throw rocks if you don't give in to their demands). Perhaps the single-most-important thing to remember when trekking in Nepal is to tread lightly. Think about the trekkers who will come after you. Of course, you can't be expected to leave your modern high-tech camping accessories and conveniences at home, but try not to leave behind your modern garbage on the trail. There are a number of ways that you can be socially and environmentally responsible during your visit to Nepal. Do what you can to reduce the use of firewood (shower less often, eat local foods, dress warmly instead of sitting by a fire), and you will help to preserve the forests of the Himalayas. Respecting local customs, packing out nonbiodegradable garbage (especially batteries), and refraining from buying bottled water and beers will all help minimize your physical impact on the Himalayas.
Before heading out on a trek, or before even booking a trek (if you are arranging a catered trek after your arrival), you should stop by the Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP), Thamel Mall Building Complex, Jyatha (P.O. Box 9178), Thamel (tel. 977/1-259275 or 977/1-259567; fax 977/1-411533; e-mail: tour@keep.wlink.com.np), which is located south of Tridevi Marg near the Hotel Utse. Here you can find out the names of the most environmentally conscious trekking companies, learn about the impact trekking is having on Nepal's environment, and pick up some tips on how to minimize your impact on the environment and culture. You can also pick up a copy of Trekking Gently in the Himalaya, a booklet on trekking responsibly and reducing your impact on the environment. You can also learn about altitude sickness, register with your embassy, and read other trekkers' comments about various treks.
In the past few years trekking companies have begun offering environmentally conscious treks. These include treks to plant trees as part of reforestation projects and to pick up garbage left by previous mountaineering and trekking expeditions. However, it is important to take care of the sensitive Himalayan environment on any trek. The most salient thing to remember is that deforestation is one of the greatest problems facing Nepal today. Each year during the monsoon, vast amounts of soil wash away from deforested hillsides, causing landslides, destroying villages, and eliminating productive cropland. The large numbers of trekkers in Nepal have played a big part in deforestation in recent years. On most trekking routes, food is prepared primarily over wood fires, as are tea and bath water. If at all possible, try to patronize lodges that use kerosene for cooking (in some areas, use of kerosene is mandatory).
Don't litter on the trails, and in villages try to be sure that there is some sort of garbage pit for biodegradable garbage. All nonbiodegradable garbage should be carried out, especially batteries, which are becoming an insidious form of toxic pollution throughout the hills. If there are no toilet facilities where you are staying, burn your toilet paper or store it in a plastic bag until you can dispose of it in a garbage pit. Don't use soap or shampoo in lakes, streams, or hot springs. Instead, take a bucket or pail and rinse the soap off away from the water source.
In recent years the biggest pollutants along the trekking routes are beer and soda bottles and plastic water bottles. Although there is a deposit on soda bottles, which means there is an incentive to pack them out, there is no deposit on beer bottles. Consequently, these have been piling up at such an alarming rate that in 1998, glass bottles were banned from Sagarmatha National Park, which encompasses the trails and villages in the Mount Everest region. In the Annapurna region, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project has set its sights on banning bottled water, which is sold in plastic bottles. The empty bottles either litter the villages or are burned, sending the stench of burning plastic drifting across the hills. You can do your part to solve these problems by not purchasing bottled drinks of any sort. Purify your own water and stick to the tea, coffee, and hot lemonade (a popular drink along the trekking routes). Consider bringing along your own drink powders for flavoring your water.
Tipping--Guides, porters, and other trek personnel have traditionally been tipped at the end of treks. In the past, well-funded mountaineering expeditions have been very lavish in their tips because they didn't want to pay to ship unneeded gear back home. Sleeping bags, hiking boots, down jackets, and the like became tips, and consequently, trekkers often think they must tip in an equally lavish fashion. This is not so. A standard tip is 1 day's wages for each week of service. Alternatively, warm clothes (particularly sweaters and good socks) that you no longer need also make appropriate tips. If you have room in your bag for unwanted warm clothes, bring them to Nepal and hand them out as tips.
Begging--Begging has, unfortunately, become a fact of life along Nepal's more popular trekking routes. It is done primarily by small children who greet you with cries of "Hello, one pen. Hello, one rupee. Hello, mithai (sweet)." This behavior is a direct result of previous trekkers passing out gifts indiscriminately along the trail. The damage has already been done, and an entire generation has grown up expecting rich foreigners to give them whatever they demand. Please do not encourage begging by passing out candies, pens, balloons, or other gifts.
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