29 May 2011

29 May is celebrated as Everest Day as it was on this day in 1953 that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa reached the summit of Mt. Everest – becoming the first ones to summit the mountain.

 29 May is yet another historical day, as Saving Mount Everest project brought down a total of 8,110 kilos or 8.1 tons of garbage collected from the mountain and its trekking trails. The collected garbage was displayed for verification in Namche Bazaar (gateway to Mt. Everest) amidst an event. Almost all the members of the Saving Mount Everest Clean-Up expedition were present in the event to interact with media, local authorities, local communities and authorities from the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Of the collected garbage – 3,200 kilos or 3.2 tons has been handed over to Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), the local NGO that is responsible to manage waste in the region. SPCC supported the project by providing a waiver of 50% on per kg waste for its management. Remaining waste is being carried to Lukla from where it will be flown to Kathmandu.

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Government of Nepal praised and congratulated the team on successfully collecting over 8 tons of refuse from the mountain and its trekking trail as planned.   

Blog and Pictures by: Neelima Shrestha, PR Consultant - Saving Mount Everest