This year for The Earth Day the theme is “invest in Earth”. We at Tripoto would love to spread this message to our readers and followers through something we all have in common: our love for travel. It is not a secret that we are facing challenges in the Environmental Department, and are every single step that we take in remote lands degrades it further.
All of us have felt the urge to get lost in the mountains and India has seen a great rise in hikers over the last decade. Our ever-demanding consumer habits have had a huge impact on the local communities in the mountains. Your search for fresh air has led to the locals dealing with enormous amounts of trash and I wonder will the next generation have any fresh air left? The greatest challenge faced by Himachal is waste management. Litter along the trails and valleys full of trash have become a regular view in the mountains. So, what can you do on a trek to help the local community and on a broader spectrum, your mother Earth?
Say NO to maggie and YES to daal bhat
Pahado ki maggie has become the most common picture on Instagram and every single one of us is guilty of doing it. While the taste is unbeatable, so is the waste generated. The ideology of “it’s just one packet” when multiplied by tens of thousands leads to tons of trash that the locals are not capable of managing. Many trek companies, do provide home-cooked food on their treks and one should stick to that. Trust me, a plate of hot daal bhat after a trek is unbeatable too!
Say NO to single-use plastics and YES to reusable items
Plastic cutlery is a major part of the waste that can be easily replaced by a steel box for eating food, drinking water etc. you can even cook out of these on your independent hikes.
Say NO to detrimental products and YES to eco-friendly toiletries
Often, we do not consider the amount of impact a simple facewash can have on the rich and delicate soil of the mountains. A lot of brands have come up with eco-friendly toiletries which will work magic on your skin and the earth. Most of such products are all in one and hence help you reduce the weight of your backpack too!
Say NO to trail trash and YES to proper waste disposal
The saying "leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but memories" is so underrated.It isn’t hard to carry an extra bag to dispose of all your waste. You fruit peels, that one bag of chips, that apple core, none of that would exist on the trail if you hadn’t carried them. So, it is your responsibility to get them back to the base where everything can be disposed of correctly.
Say NO to protein bars and YES to Wholefoods
Protein bars are a fad that I could never understand. They are highly processed, include a ton of sugar and let’s be honest, taste super weird. On a 5-day hike if you have 10 bars, that’s 10 plastic sheets left behind. The same number of calories can be found in dry fruits such as almonds and figs and plus they taste great.
Say NO to single-use wipes and YES to cotton towels
A lot of us are used to having wet wipes with us on the trek. While they are great to use, they are single-use and hard to recycle. A lightweight microfibre towel or a cotton hanky can do the same job.
Say NO to pads/tampons and YES to Mensural cups
Ladies, this one is for you. The mensural cups are life-changing in terms of both during and after the trek. Disposing of the sanitary napkins in an urban environment is tough as it is, but disposing of them from the mountains is a whole new ballpark.
Say NO to mass following and YES to sustainable tourism!
This is a point that can be applied to any kind of travel to the mountains. The communities in the mountains cannot cater to the ever-demanding needs of the modern tourist. Your simple needs have a huge impact on the resources. When you visit an off-beat place, think twice before posting it. Yes, your reel might go viral but also the impact of the mass rush towards the location stresses the resources and causes long term damage.
This is the only planet we have and it is our responsibility to keep it accessible to the generations to come. Our gorgeous mother earth where rivers sing lullabies’, the mountains watch over us, the winds whisper sweet nothings is meant to be explored. We at Tripoto strive for sustainable travel and hope that you enjoyed this article. Today as a community lets stand together hand in hand trying to make travel possible for future generations. Please let us know which of these pointers will be most important during your next hike.
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