Some people keep making us believe in the best of humankind with their kindness, effort, and desire to make the world a better place. One of those people is Marion Chaygneaud-Dupuy who won the 2019 ‘Terre de Femmes’ award given out by the ‘Fondation Yves Rocher’ for her work in helping clean up Mount Everest from the tons and tons of trash left behind by the people climbing it.
In the 3 years since founding the ‘Clean Everest’ project in 2016, Marion and her team had cleared a whopping 8.5 tons of waste and garbage before being awarded the 2019 award for their hard work. If you think that sounds impressive, here’s another fun fact—that amount of rubbish they cleared amounted to three-quarters of all the manmade waste on the mountain.
Impressive? We certainly think so. But that’s nothing compared to Marion’s future plans.
Alpinist and eco-activist Marion has cleaned up 8.5 tons of rubbish on Mount Everest in just 3 years with her team
The yaks were a gift from the local authorities to help bring the garbage down the mountain
Marion is on a tough and ambitious mission: she aims to finish cleaning up Everest and then she wants to move on to the entire Himalayan mountain range.
The 39-year-old has already scaled Mount Everest 3 times and saw first-hand what over 30 years of expeditions have done to the mountainside.
“Climbing Everest should offer one of the purest interactions between humans and the natural world. But in 2013, when I reached the top, I realized that the mountain had been damaged by 30 years of expeditions. I estimated that nearly 10 tonnes of waste had been discarded at the peaks alone! I was utterly shocked. I’ve been passionate about nature since I was a little girl,” she told the ‘Fondation Yves Rocher’ about when she noticed the rubbish issue on the mountain.
For Marion, nature is a vital part of her life that helps her feel alive. That’s why she wants to do her part in helping others get the best possible experience. Her connection to nature started when she was a child. She would play in the woods and learn the names of the trees, plants, and animals.
As a grown-up, she traveled to India and Tibet where she’s been living and working as a mountain guide for over 17 years. After founding the ‘Clean Everest’ project, she convinced the local authorities to support her project and they gave her 50 yaks to help get the waste down the mountainside. We can only hope that Marion will continue with her mission and that others follow in her footsteps in the snow.
The pollution affecting the Himalayas has an effect on the drinking water used by around 2 billion people living in the Chinese and Indian valleys, so the battle to clean up the mountains isn’t just about protecting nature. It’s also about our quality of life.
Check out this video that goes into more detail about the initiative right here
It is sad to see which kind of unecological industry is behind climbing mount everest these days, an activitythat seems to be mostly sought by people who want to throw money at boosting their ego. Sorry to sound judgmental, but climbing the highest mountain, spending ten tousands of dollars on it (yes, it is this expensive), allegedly becoming one with nature, yet tossing coke cans – that does not fit. Kudos to these people cleaning after those who do not care.
Completely agree, respect the mountain or you have no entitlement to climb it.
Load More Replies...It is always so crazy, when you climb to the top of the mountain and you see the amount of rubish there - when you had an energy to bring the full thing up, there is certainly an energy to bring the empty package down.
When hiking in Lake Tahoe, my home town, the rule was "hike out more than you hiked in".
Load More Replies...I was there in 2019 (April) and China had begun a massive clean up at that point. They had rotating crews at basecamp and piles of debris and trash that had been carted down. They were even able to bring a few long deceased climbers and had set up memorials for them.
This happens every few years. There are rules the each expedition must bring a certain amount of rubbish back with them or pay a fine. But the fine is minimal, and some of the people climbing Everest have just paid $70-100k to climb. So if a fine is $500 it's not exactly a deal breaker... Sadly the moral reasons not to leave a mess are lost on many.
yep we were required to bring back debris/trash...i was happy to do it.
Load More Replies...Humans are the worst. There needs to be conditions set with the permits they give people, that they need to clean up their own rubbish/trash. This is ridiculous.
The authorities do, but the fine is small for not doing following rules.
Load More Replies...People rich enough to climb Mount Everest should at least pay for having their s**t removed. Assholes
They pay a fine and that money pays these people. It's like the idiots who drop litter in the street and say "they're creating jobs".
Load More Replies...How the hell do you get that much s**t up a mountain? Like wtf take your c**p home with u ppl! And on a fricking mountain as well it's so sad. It's nice that they cleaned some up tho also sorry for the bad words this stuff makes me so angry xoxox
People have been climbing Everest ever since Edmund Hillary made it the thing to do. It's a status thing for wealthy people who fancy themselves rugged and outdoorsy. So there are decades and decades of junk up there, not just a few years.
Load More Replies...You would think that climbers would have more respect for the earth. That is just so disgusting and shameful. Thank you to those who cleaned up what was left by selfish, irresponsible, entitled people.
The people who climb Everest have zero respect for anyone. They exist only to pander to their own egos.
Load More Replies...Now this is an eco-activist; actually going out and making a difference with their own actions. Not like some loud whiners that the entire world has heard screeching in the past. Not saying everyone has to go big-scale like this, it can be as easy as starting in your own neighbourhood or city.
From the highest peaks to the very bottom of the oceans humans have trashed Eden.
The government is surely making enough money off these climbers that they can hire someone to monitor that trash is being removed when they leave.
Your comment and the logic you use is so absurd that you need to be permanently banned from having access to a keyboard. How about we go with teaching people respect for the planet and stop trashing it.
Load More Replies...What makes this even more impressive is that the rubbish contains human feces and even dead bodies.
All these people come in as tourists to have their "experience" with no regard for the inhabitants of this place. If you take it up, you should bring it down. It's that simple. If that means you have to pay more locals to help carry stuff, so be it. 8.5 tons of trash is disgusting.
Every other day, I wander around my village picking up rubbish that is, most likely, thrown out of the windows of the many vehicles that pass through the village. I invariably come back with a black bag full of debris. I cannot believe how shite humans are, how endangering they are - smashed glass on pavements the school kids use - and I worry that as my age makes litter picking harder, will I die in a place that is covered in rubbish?
I am astounding and deeply saddened that someone would climb the highest mountain in the world, experience such profound distance from civilisation and connection with nature, and think nothing of dropping their Coke can. It's just horrible. If you could carry a full can that far, you can carry an empty one for the rest of your journey. I also cannot understand the guides not being hardline about not dropping litter, setting the rules before the group sets off. I think the Chinese and Nepalese governments are going to have to get on top of this. Honestly, they should be counting Coke cans up and counting them down again.
That’s a good idea. And they charge people to climb the mountain, right? Why doesn’t some of this money go toward cleanup?
Load More Replies...Though I am sure most of the garbage is recent, I do wonder if they found any vi take articles—-not necessarily garbage, but equipment left behind by one of the many lost hikers preserved in the slopes. From an archaeological perspective, this would’ve be been a potential treasure trove—-archeologists are always digging in trash pits because there usually so much stuff in them that gives us an idea what everyday life was like.
One of the best stories I have seen on Bored Panda in a long time. And there are a lot of good stories.
I understand that the local authorities need the money of the idiots who feel the need to climb that mountain despite being total amateurs. But I don't understand why they don't regulate it -let's say, you have to show a super detailed inventory and you pay massive fines for aynthign you are not taking back down with you.
Wonderful people! Anyone who goes should leave nothing behind but footprints!
Now, if they could clear away the dead bodies and stop people from climbing it, that would be good.
Humans are just the worst sometimes. It's not normal to throw litter on an everyday street nevermind a wonder of the world- whats wrong with people? Did that not feel criminal??!!
I find it amazing how so many people treat the world as a dump that someone else will take care of. Yet they insist you remove shoes before entering their place of residence, not touch anything, and walk on plastic runners to get to plastic covered furniture. I don't get why it's so hard to walk a couple feet to dump ones mess. This was not an easy job. I'd be making my descent in a body bag. I kinda
Sooo... what do they do with the bodies? And isn't it dangerous for the cleaning team? I mean don't get me wrong, pollution is terrible. But it's always been said that bodies of climbers who die on Everest are left there because it's too dangerous to bring then down, so how are they cleaning up tons of rubbish now? I'm genuinely confused.
I wonder if they’re removing the bodies. I think the mountain is an appropriate resting place for those who died trying to conquer it.
People packed F'n COKE up there? That just seems obscene to me. Crass commercialism trashing nature. I'd think water would be more useful to carry up there than Coke!
the only way this happened is the planet warming up. They've found countless artifacts across the globe the same way. Coming out of old ice and snow. And as the planet starts cooling again a new hoard of "human thingy's" will be buried until next time.
I pray there is no "next time". I think we have enough proof that humans destroy everything they touch.
Load More Replies...It's about respect for the place you're in. If you can't keep a world famous mountain clean it's a poor reflection on our species.
Load More Replies...It is sad to see which kind of unecological industry is behind climbing mount everest these days, an activitythat seems to be mostly sought by people who want to throw money at boosting their ego. Sorry to sound judgmental, but climbing the highest mountain, spending ten tousands of dollars on it (yes, it is this expensive), allegedly becoming one with nature, yet tossing coke cans – that does not fit. Kudos to these people cleaning after those who do not care.
Completely agree, respect the mountain or you have no entitlement to climb it.
Load More Replies...It is always so crazy, when you climb to the top of the mountain and you see the amount of rubish there - when you had an energy to bring the full thing up, there is certainly an energy to bring the empty package down.
When hiking in Lake Tahoe, my home town, the rule was "hike out more than you hiked in".
Load More Replies...I was there in 2019 (April) and China had begun a massive clean up at that point. They had rotating crews at basecamp and piles of debris and trash that had been carted down. They were even able to bring a few long deceased climbers and had set up memorials for them.
This happens every few years. There are rules the each expedition must bring a certain amount of rubbish back with them or pay a fine. But the fine is minimal, and some of the people climbing Everest have just paid $70-100k to climb. So if a fine is $500 it's not exactly a deal breaker... Sadly the moral reasons not to leave a mess are lost on many.
yep we were required to bring back debris/trash...i was happy to do it.
Load More Replies...Humans are the worst. There needs to be conditions set with the permits they give people, that they need to clean up their own rubbish/trash. This is ridiculous.
The authorities do, but the fine is small for not doing following rules.
Load More Replies...People rich enough to climb Mount Everest should at least pay for having their s**t removed. Assholes
They pay a fine and that money pays these people. It's like the idiots who drop litter in the street and say "they're creating jobs".
Load More Replies...How the hell do you get that much s**t up a mountain? Like wtf take your c**p home with u ppl! And on a fricking mountain as well it's so sad. It's nice that they cleaned some up tho also sorry for the bad words this stuff makes me so angry xoxox
People have been climbing Everest ever since Edmund Hillary made it the thing to do. It's a status thing for wealthy people who fancy themselves rugged and outdoorsy. So there are decades and decades of junk up there, not just a few years.
Load More Replies...You would think that climbers would have more respect for the earth. That is just so disgusting and shameful. Thank you to those who cleaned up what was left by selfish, irresponsible, entitled people.
The people who climb Everest have zero respect for anyone. They exist only to pander to their own egos.
Load More Replies...Now this is an eco-activist; actually going out and making a difference with their own actions. Not like some loud whiners that the entire world has heard screeching in the past. Not saying everyone has to go big-scale like this, it can be as easy as starting in your own neighbourhood or city.
From the highest peaks to the very bottom of the oceans humans have trashed Eden.
The government is surely making enough money off these climbers that they can hire someone to monitor that trash is being removed when they leave.
Your comment and the logic you use is so absurd that you need to be permanently banned from having access to a keyboard. How about we go with teaching people respect for the planet and stop trashing it.
Load More Replies...What makes this even more impressive is that the rubbish contains human feces and even dead bodies.
All these people come in as tourists to have their "experience" with no regard for the inhabitants of this place. If you take it up, you should bring it down. It's that simple. If that means you have to pay more locals to help carry stuff, so be it. 8.5 tons of trash is disgusting.
Every other day, I wander around my village picking up rubbish that is, most likely, thrown out of the windows of the many vehicles that pass through the village. I invariably come back with a black bag full of debris. I cannot believe how shite humans are, how endangering they are - smashed glass on pavements the school kids use - and I worry that as my age makes litter picking harder, will I die in a place that is covered in rubbish?
I am astounding and deeply saddened that someone would climb the highest mountain in the world, experience such profound distance from civilisation and connection with nature, and think nothing of dropping their Coke can. It's just horrible. If you could carry a full can that far, you can carry an empty one for the rest of your journey. I also cannot understand the guides not being hardline about not dropping litter, setting the rules before the group sets off. I think the Chinese and Nepalese governments are going to have to get on top of this. Honestly, they should be counting Coke cans up and counting them down again.
That’s a good idea. And they charge people to climb the mountain, right? Why doesn’t some of this money go toward cleanup?
Load More Replies...Though I am sure most of the garbage is recent, I do wonder if they found any vi take articles—-not necessarily garbage, but equipment left behind by one of the many lost hikers preserved in the slopes. From an archaeological perspective, this would’ve be been a potential treasure trove—-archeologists are always digging in trash pits because there usually so much stuff in them that gives us an idea what everyday life was like.
One of the best stories I have seen on Bored Panda in a long time. And there are a lot of good stories.
I understand that the local authorities need the money of the idiots who feel the need to climb that mountain despite being total amateurs. But I don't understand why they don't regulate it -let's say, you have to show a super detailed inventory and you pay massive fines for aynthign you are not taking back down with you.
Wonderful people! Anyone who goes should leave nothing behind but footprints!
Now, if they could clear away the dead bodies and stop people from climbing it, that would be good.
Humans are just the worst sometimes. It's not normal to throw litter on an everyday street nevermind a wonder of the world- whats wrong with people? Did that not feel criminal??!!
I find it amazing how so many people treat the world as a dump that someone else will take care of. Yet they insist you remove shoes before entering their place of residence, not touch anything, and walk on plastic runners to get to plastic covered furniture. I don't get why it's so hard to walk a couple feet to dump ones mess. This was not an easy job. I'd be making my descent in a body bag. I kinda
Sooo... what do they do with the bodies? And isn't it dangerous for the cleaning team? I mean don't get me wrong, pollution is terrible. But it's always been said that bodies of climbers who die on Everest are left there because it's too dangerous to bring then down, so how are they cleaning up tons of rubbish now? I'm genuinely confused.
I wonder if they’re removing the bodies. I think the mountain is an appropriate resting place for those who died trying to conquer it.
People packed F'n COKE up there? That just seems obscene to me. Crass commercialism trashing nature. I'd think water would be more useful to carry up there than Coke!
the only way this happened is the planet warming up. They've found countless artifacts across the globe the same way. Coming out of old ice and snow. And as the planet starts cooling again a new hoard of "human thingy's" will be buried until next time.
I pray there is no "next time". I think we have enough proof that humans destroy everything they touch.
Load More Replies...It's about respect for the place you're in. If you can't keep a world famous mountain clean it's a poor reflection on our species.
Load More Replies...
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