TSAF embraces responsible mountaineering

December 11 is International Mountain Day

Jamshedpur, Dec. 11: The two-month long cleaning drive conducted on Mt Everest between April and June 2019 ended removing11,000 kgs of garbage from the world’s most challenging mountain range. When the story made it into newspapers across the world, it was both a source of monumental embarrassment and also a great lesson for humanity.  The quest to overcome nature’s challenges, that even the best and the wisest among us sometimes fail to recognise the more serious responsibilities that come with adventure sports. The garbage piling problem on Mt Everest had reached a point where in 2014 the Government of Nepal made it mandatory for every climber to come down the peak with at least 8 kg of garbage which is the estimated volume of trash produced by one climber.  While such efforts are no doubt commendable, it also leaves us with a bigger question of what we can do to avoid this problem in the first place.  We also know that this is not something unique to Mt Everest either but an endemic challenge that is pervading other forms of adventure sports as well.

Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) has taken on this challenge that needs to be addressed both at individual and institutional levels, the former through education and awareness and the latter by becoming a catalyst to bring about behavioural changes within the adventure sports fraternity.  

Since its formation in 1984 by Bachendri Pal, India’s legendary mountaineer and first Indian woman to scale Mt Everest, TSAF has been led by a three-pronged philosophy — self-respect, respect for others and respect for environment. 

Promoting adventure sports with a touch of personal responsibility has been the most effective way to deal with the environmental challenges that comes in.  For example, the principle of leaving no trace of visit and even trying to make it better is an integral part of all courses and expeditions offered by TSAF.  TSAF has also adopted a zero waste policy at Kaflon camp in Uttarkashi.

During its expeditions, TSAF had been adopting simple 3R rule (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) in dealing with waste. It has been very effective as it takes away any scope for confusion when it comes to dealing with waste.  All the waste generated throughout the courses is properly segregated and then recycled or reused.  The biggest challenge was disposing polythene and wrappers. Now, TSAF tackles this problem by creating eco-bricks from the waste. Eco-bricks is a novel yet simple idea where we stuff all the wrappers in the bottle that in turn can be used as a brick for making furniture or walls.

Another simple step that has proven effective has been to deal with the waste problem at its very source.  TSAF reduces consumption of plastic by rationalising purchase of kitchen ingredients and discouraging single use plastics. 

TSAF regularly organises cleaning drives in and around Jamshedpur and Uttarkashi mostly driven by volunteers.  The wastes collected during these drives are handed over to local municipal bodies for responsible disposal. 

The three-week long Mission Gange in October 2018 that was flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and led by the then director of TASF, Ms Pal, even managed to clear 55 tonnes of waste along the route of 1,500 km expedition that started in Haridwar and ended in Patna.   The success of this expedition was in no small measure made possible by the 40 volunteers which includes 8 Everesters, 5 IITians, MBA graduates and scores of Tata Steel employees.

Adventure sport is very powerful and effective way to promote healthy living and unlike many other sports it also provides a unique opportunity for people to become more aware of the hazardous link between our lifestyle and environment.  Let’s serve ourselves and society better by acknowledging own accountability to environmental welfare and pledging to embrace responsible mountaineering.