With an estimated 100 million annual visitors to the European Alps, Respect the Mountains believes there is an urgent need to preserve this fragile environment. Tourists, in particular, on ski holidays, are not aware of the damage caused by litter left behind on the ski slopes. “The snow will cover it up” is a common misconception made while throwing a cigarette packet or snack bar wrapper off the ski lift! Awareness and education are the way forward and Respect the Mountains organises the Envirotrek Clean Up Series each summer across Europe to raise awareness and clean up, of course!
The first edition of Respect the Mountain’s Envirotrek brought together 100 people back in 2009, and almost 500 people in 2012! Last summer, the 5th year running, 2630 kg of rubbish were collected! Each year, Respect the Mountains' awareness campaign reaches more and more mountain tourists providing vital information and education about the damage and pressure that the holiday industry puts on the fragile mountain ecosystems.
Envirotrek is a “grassroots” series of events organised by Respect the Mountains, which take place during the summer across Europe once the snow has melted. Unfortunately many of the one hundred million tourists that visit the European Alps annually leave a trace of their visit, often in the form litter. In an ideal world, we would educate these people and make them understand that they cannot continue to act in this way. Unfortunately, even with the best resources, there are still many people who consider that “one piece of litter doesn’t harm anyone”! The problem is, of course, that too many people think the same way and this creates huge piles of litter, in particular, at the end of the ski season. This litter needs removing and Respect the Mountains has found a fun and interactive way of doing this – Envirotrek…
Popular mountain tourist destinations can almost look like rubbish tips at the end of a winter season! Food and cigarette wrappers and cans but also gloves, ski poles, sunglasses and other personal effects such as telephones and cameras are among the items collected from the grassy slopes, in particular, under ski lifts. There is a need for on-the-ground action to collect this waste and Envirotrek brings together willing participants to embrace sustainable tourism. A fun, one-day event is organised in various mountain holiday destinations and attracts people from all walks of life who want to get involved in a good cause. Envirotrek is a great event for families with young children and helps educate the skiers and snowboarders of the future.
Each participant is required to fulfil an important mission on behalf of Respect the Mountains - 2 hours of hands-on litter collection! Participants are equipped with health and safety protection and plastic (or biodegradable) rubbish bags. Teams are put together and each team is briefed on a particularly area they are responsible for cleaning up. To motivate the teams and keep the event fun, different prizes are given at the end of each “Clean Up” mission. Prizes are awarded for ‘the most rubbish collected', 'the most unusual piece of rubbish or the 'Best Team Player'.
Having completed their Clean Up missions, the Envirotrek participants are generally very hungry, so the organisers put together a delicious BBQ lunch with salads and vegetarian options. This is always a great opportunity to meet other people with the same interests and who are also passionate about the mountains and taking care of the environment. Photos are taken and the prizes are given after lunch.
In the afternoon, to create a really close community feel, a selection of mountain activities are organised. Rock climbing, via ferrata, mountain biking, canoeing, rafting, GPS-tracking, are among the different mountain sports available to try. Different activities are organised in each location depending on options available at each event. Activities are run by local companies in the different areas that have been selected by Respect the Mountains for their professional client services.
To join in this fun, interesting and worthwhile event, Respect the Mountains asks Envirotrek participants to contribute 10 euros per adult and 5 euros per child (under 12) which includes lunch and the afternoon activities. You can sign up on the official Respect the Mountains website for upcoming events.
All photos and images : www.respectthemountains.com/envirotrek
With an estimated 100 million annual visitors to the European Alps, Respect the Mountains believes there is an urgent need to preserve this fragile environment. Tourists, in particular, on ski holidays, are not aware of the damage caused by litter left behind on the ski slopes. “The snow will cover it up” is a common misconception made while throwing a cigarette packet or snack bar wrapper off the ski lift! Awareness and education are the way forward and Respect the Mountains organises the Envirotrek Clean Up Series each summer across Europe to raise awareness and clean up, of course!
The first edition of Respect the Mountain’s Envirotrek brought together 100 people back in 2009, and almost 500 people in 2012! Last summer, the 5th year running, 2630 kg of rubbish were collected! Each year, Respect the Mountains' awareness campaign reaches more and more mountain tourists providing vital information and education about the damage and pressure that the holiday industry puts on the fragile mountain ecosystems.
Envirotrek is a “grassroots” series of events organised by Respect the Mountains, which take place during the summer across Europe once the snow has melted. Unfortunately many of the one hundred million tourists that visit the European Alps annually leave a trace of their visit, often in the form litter. In an ideal world, we would educate these people and make them understand that they cannot continue to act in this way. Unfortunately, even with the best resources, there are still many people who consider that “one piece of litter doesn’t harm anyone”! The problem is, of course, that too many people think the same way and this creates huge piles of litter, in particular, at the end of the ski season. This litter needs removing and Respect the Mountains has found a fun and interactive way of doing this – Envirotrek…
Popular mountain tourist destinations can almost look like rubbish tips at the end of a winter season! Food and cigarette wrappers and cans but also gloves, ski poles, sunglasses and other personal effects such as telephones and cameras are among the items collected from the grassy slopes, in particular, under ski lifts. There is a need for on-the-ground action to collect this waste and Envirotrek brings together willing participants to embrace sustainable tourism. A fun, one-day event is organised in various mountain holiday destinations and attracts people from all walks of life who want to get involved in a good cause. Envirotrek is a great event for families with young children and helps educate the skiers and snowboarders of the future.
Each participant is required to fulfil an important mission on behalf of Respect the Mountains - 2 hours of hands-on litter collection! Participants are equipped with health and safety protection and plastic (or biodegradable) rubbish bags. Teams are put together and each team is briefed on a particularly area they are responsible for cleaning up. To motivate the teams and keep the event fun, different prizes are given at the end of each “Clean Up” mission. Prizes are awarded for ‘the most rubbish collected', 'the most unusual piece of rubbish or the 'Best Team Player'.
Having completed their Clean Up missions, the Envirotrek participants are generally very hungry, so the organisers put together a delicious BBQ lunch with salads and vegetarian options. This is always a great opportunity to meet other people with the same interests and who are also passionate about the mountains and taking care of the environment. Photos are taken and the prizes are given after lunch.
In the afternoon, to create a really close community feel, a selection of mountain activities are organised. Rock climbing, via ferrata, mountain biking, canoeing, rafting, GPS-tracking, are among the different mountain sports available to try. Different activities are organised in each location depending on options available at each event. Activities are run by local companies in the different areas that have been selected by Respect the Mountains for their professional client services.
To join in this fun, interesting and worthwhile event, Respect the Mountains asks Envirotrek participants to contribute 10 euros per adult and 5 euros per child (under 12) which includes lunch and the afternoon activities. You can sign up on the official Respect the Mountains website for upcoming events.
All photos and images : www.respectthemountains.com/envirotrek
Being lucky enough to have parents who were crazy about skiing, my love for the mountains started when I was 4 years old on our first family ski holiday to Austrian ski resort of Obergurl. One ski holiday a year was never enough and tears rolled down my face as I looked out the back window of the car on the drive down the valley on the way home!
