Indiahikes Green Trails Report: June–August 2023

This is a Green Trails Report by Indiahikes for the months of June to August 2023. This is an internal report written by Sharwari Brahme, the head of Green Trails at Indiahikes. It has been published without edits.

I would like to share with all of you the updates and wins for the month of August 2023. Along with this, as we all know, we are nearing the transition from Monsoon to autumn. I have also put our waste targets for Green Trails going forward.

This is a Green Trails Report by Indiahikes for the months of June to August 2023. This is an internal report written by Sharwari Brahme, the head of Green Trails at Indiahikes. It has been published without edits for trekker consumption.

I would like to share with all of you the updates and wins for the month of August 2023. Along with this, as we all know, we are nearing the transition from Monsoon to autumn. I have also put our waste targets for Green Trails going forward.

Green Trails News

1. We have been looking for waste collaborators for the longest time in Bengaluru, Himachal, and Kashmir. I have good news for all of you. We have finally found the waste facilities in these places which are very close to our base camp.
   - Manali: Krich Organization
   - Kashmir: A recycling unit near Srinagar and Aru for all our Recyclable and tetrapack waste. We have already sent our recyclable waste from Srinagar.
   - Bengaluru: Wasted 360 solutions for all the waste from our Bengaluru trek clean-ups.
2. Starting this Friday, in every Friday meeting, we will be screening a film related to Sustainability.
3. We also had a Waste drive at our Bengaluru office for e-waste, soft plastics, and recyclables. Around 50 kg of waste was deposited by the team, and all of it was taken to Wasted 360 Solutions.

Internship updates

1. They are Ankit, Satvik, and Lucas.
2. Ankit and Satvik have been working in Manali to manage the G6 practices and waste management at the Manali Jungle Line campus. They have deposited a total of 2,213 kg of segregated waste with our waste collaborator, Krich, in Manali.
3. Lucas is in Kashmir. In the past month, he has done extensive green sweeps at the KGL trek (twice). He is also taking care of the waste movement and management of the Kashmir Slope.
4. We have one more intern joining us in September; her name is Nagalambika. She will finish her induction in Bengaluru and then move to the slopes.

Green Trail Training

• The GT interns, Satvik and Ankit, finished their training on the G6 setup. The aim of this training was to help them understand what the ideal setup of G6 practices looks like on our campsites. To teach them how G6 practices can be applied to delivering an experience. The training was conducted by our staff members, Mansingh and Shachi.
• While the training helped the trainees, it also helped the trainers. The training has really helped Mansingh and Shachi brush up their skills. It was a good learning opportunity for them.
• Last weekend, our team conducted a Green Trails training session at Karchhi village, which is the base for the Valley of Flowers and Kuari Pass treks. This training was designed for our cooks and helpers. They play a key role in ensuring our kitchens become more and more sustainable. The training covered why being sustainable in the mountains is important. It also covered how to communicate the impact of sustainability with our trekkers. As the sessions progressed, the training became a platform for deeper discussions. In these discussions, our staff shared concerns about waste management at certain campsites. And the team came together to chalk out steps to address it in the coming season. These trainings will be a regular practice going forward.

Recognitions

This time, I'd like to recognise a few people for their exceptional work:

• Amit Gupta for finding the Waste deposition facility in Srinagar.
• Shwetha and Kavinaya for conducting the staff training at Karchi Campus.
• Team Manali for the massive clean-up drive at Hampta Pass. On collection of 900 kgs and pushing for their massive waste target.

Green Trails Report

Below is the Green Trails report for all the slopes for the month of June-Aug 2023. Congratulations to all the winners. An amazing job was done by all the slopes for cleaning such large quantities of waste. A special congratulations to Team Manali for the extensive Hampta Pass clean-up drive. Amazing efforts. Kudos to the entire team!!

The targets achieved by the teams in terms of their waste collection:

  a) Valley of Flowers Team: 70%

  b) Kashmir: 54%

  c) Manali: 72%

Great work by all the teams in pushing forward with consistent efforts for all the targets.

Targets for next season

Let me take this opportunity to announce the Waste collection Targets for September & October 2023.

a) Kotgaon: 300kgs

b) Raithal: 300kgs

c) Sari: 500kgs

d) Rupin: 200kgs

e) Buran: 200kgs

f) Gangotri: 200kgs

g) Lohajung: 200kgs

That brings me to the end of this report. All the best for the upcoming season everyone!! Let's leave the mountains better than we found them. :)