Support Green Trails to keep Himalayas waste free | Milaap
Support Green Trails to keep Himalayas waste free
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    Created by

    Milaap
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    This fundraiser will benefit

    Indiahikes

    from Bengaluru, Karnataka

We need your help to make trekking in India more sustainable.

For nearly 8 years now, the trekking organisation Indiahikes has funded the Green Trails project to leave the mountains in a better condition than we found them in.

After all these years, Green Trails has almost turned into an organisation on its own.

This is where we need your support.

The scale and ambition of the Green Trails projects we are working on are high. Sustaining this team requires funding.

Up until now, we have funded ourselves to the tune of the Rupee. As we gain momentum, more helping hands will go a long way in preserving our Himalayas.

Our story
Waste. Stinking eyesores. Everywhere.
Who created this waste?

We don’t often think about the waste we generate, where it goes or what happens to it.

Who cares? You and I do.
This crowdfunding appeal is a shout out from us to the like-minded you.

We are on a mission to find an exit for waste generated in the Himalayas. Read on to find out who we are, what we do and how you can help.

Who we are
Indiahikes is a trek documentation organisation. We explore and document treks that can be done all over India. We do this in great detail so that everyone can organize their own treks.

Over the past decade, Indiahikes has been instrumental in bringing out great treks in India — be it in Kashmir, Himachal or West Bengal. We organise 28 high altitude Himalayan treks all year around. We have explored new terrains, modified the routes or highlighted the beauty of the Himalayan range. It has made trekking in India a lot safer by bringing in safe trek leaders and safety devices and protocols.

You do not have to be a trekker to know that the Himalayas have some of the most majestic and jaw droppingly beautiful trekking trails.


The problem? 
Waste generated by tourists, trekkers or by the villagers themselves has been steadily increasing.

Trekking routes are growing in number every year. Along with that the population of trekkers, trekking companies and locally run dhabas are popping up to help meet the demand.

In the past three years alone, an average of 14,000 kg of waste is generated by trekkers trekking with a single trek organisation alone.

What we do
The Green Trails project was an initiative Indiahikes brought into action. The mission is to leave the mountains in a better condition than they were found in. We like to try out new ideas, simplify complex issues and solve problems.

How do we do this?
We find ways to reduce carbon footprint in high traffic trekking zones. Trail and waste management lie at the crux of the Green Trails’ agenda. Currently, our team works with our trekkers, local communities, state forest departments and the government.

We like to sensitize our trekkers to responsible trekking.
We engage with locals to set up self-sustaining waste management systems.

This is how green we have left our trails in the past two years:

The hearts and brains behind the agenda are a group of gung-ho people from all walks of life.
Our team at Jaubhari, base camp for the Sandakphu Phalut trek.

Currently, we have 2 interns and 7 fellows working on our mountain slopes in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. These engineers, lawyers, IT professionals, writers and researchers have been getting their hands dirty to advance the Green Trails mission.

The work we do relies entirely on these folks placed on these slopes.  It is with their consistent presence, we have seen our projects bear fruit - sometimes after years of persistence.

How you can help
The scale and ambition of the Green Trails projects we are working on is high. Sustaining this team requires funding. Up until now, we have funded ourselves to the tune of the Rupee. As we increase our mileage, we are opening it up to anyone who wishes to contribute.  
The funds will be used for:

  • Paying our Green Trails Fellow a monthly stipend and help cover their costs through their journey.
  • Covering food and accommodation costs for the Green Trails Fellow
  • Transporting waste collected from trekking trails and remote villages to recycling centers and landfills.
  • Sending dedicated teams on trekking trails to clean up any garbage we find.
  • Providing villagers with household and community dustbins to give a headstart on waste collection and segregation at source.  

To give you an idea of the Green Trails expenditure, we’re putting down a table below. It will help you decide how much you would like to contribute.


Green Trails Expenses Head
Amount per month
Green Trails Fellow stipend
Rs. 15, 000 per Green Trails fellow
Green Trails food, travel and accommodation costs
Rs. 10, 000 per Green Trails fellow
Waste transport to recycling center/landfill
(~10 hour journey)
Rs. 8000
Dustbins (2 per local market, 1 per household)
Rs. 1500

As a token of our gratitude, we will:

  • Email you on the what, why and how Green Trail projects are being taken forward
  • Make you part of the Green Trails community
  • Keep you updated with a weekly mailer about Green Trails
If you’d like to know more:
Here is a detailed report of the Green Trails projects.
Take a peek into the work done by Green Trails here, on one of our treks, Roopkund, Uttarakhand.
Check out our instagram account @IHgreentrails for latest updates.

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