Project description
Every year, thousands of hikers pass through the valley, depleting the water reserves, burning gas and leaving behind plastic and glass packaging from goods sold in the lodges. Pollution is becoming a major problem in the lowlands and is creeping its way up the mountains. We want to set up Pasang‘s lodge as a guiding light for the whole region: with sustainable water management, on-site production of energy and a zero-plastic policy. And we want to employ some exciting new technologies to achieve it.
The trick is to build a modern lodge using traditional Nepalese techniques. The materials will be local: mostly wood and stone. We want to use innovative yet simple ways to build a structure that can withstand another earthquake, something that has recently been pioneered in Nepal by a large charity outfit. The heart of the matter is in the technology, however: we want the lodge to be self-sufficient and with a minimum waste footprint. The innovations revolve around three ideas: offgrid energy, waste management and water sustainability. There will be a water ozonization system for purifying water so Pasang will be able to avoid selling bottled water, one of the worst sources of plastic pollution. There will be a biogas tank collecting organic and toilet waste and continuously breaking it down with bacteria to produce gas for cooking and heating. Finally, the lodge will be fitted with solar collectors and a newly developed ultra-compact hydropower turbine for the stream that runs by. Extra energy will be channeled into a small greenhouse for growing vegetables. We even have plans for introducing the production of mushrooms and the processing of yak cheese to supplement the diet, since the local culture is mostly meat-free.
Our ultimate goal is to build a truly zero-waste lodge to show that it can be done. The hiking craze will probably continue, more toursists will carry on flooding into Nepal and its stunning mountain ranges – indeed, we‘re part of all that ourselves. And unless we work together to make it work for the Nepali people, the hikers and the beautiful nature we all come for, it‘s all going to collapse under the weight of numbers and waste. We‘d hate to see that happen and we know that once one lodge shows it can prosper with ecological technologies, others will take them up as well.
The lodge will be run by Pasang and his family. We believe that Pasang has proved his ability in the wake of the earthquake, having salvaged what he could of his family, started a new life in Kathmandu and tried to start rebuilding the lodge with his own resources. Our intention is that if we successfully complete the project, 30% of the profits from the lodge will be put aside and dedicated to three causes. First, opening a classroom attached to the lodge for the 30-40 local children from nearby villages. Second, financing education programs for other lodge owners in Nepal interested in the innovations. And third, maintaining the technologies and financing ways of improving and expanding them. Since we do not want to support the grey economy in Nepal, the lodge will be registered for tax payment even though it is not common for high-altitude businesses.