Like a number of outdoors brands, Osprey Europe has joined the Green Friday – instead of Black Friday – campaign. They are pledging to donate 20% of sales between November 26 and 29 to Nimsdai Foundation’s Big Mountain Cleanup.
A rucksack brand has also announced its support of the campaign, which has the goal of cleaning up some of the biggest mountains in the Himalaya.
Nimsdai Foundation was founded by Nepalese mountaineer Nimsdai Purja this year as a means of giving back to the mountain communities of the Himalaya. Nimsdai wants to support educational and technological projects that will give guidance to the climbers of the future.
Another objective of the foundation is the Big Mountain Cleanup, which aims to tackle the problem of the ever-increasing accumulation of Himalayan expedition waste and the knock-on effects of pollution.
Each climber in the mountain range generates on average an excess of 18lbs of waste, such as abandoned tents, oxygen canisters, food containers, discarded equipment and faecal matter.
Pollutants from this waste are being washed into rivers, contaminating water supplies for local populations and posing health risks from disease.
In addition to this, the Nimsdai Foundation wants to ensure improved safety on the mountain and to put a stop to the potential dangers of climbers accidentally clipping onto old or lines.
Credit: Nimsdai and Elite Exped 
Credit: Sandro and Nimsdai.
Credit: Nimsdai and Elite Exped Credit: Nimsdai and Elite Exped
Mountain clean up on Manaslu
This autumn, Nimsdai, an Osprey ambassador, led a team of skilled Nepalese Sherpas to clean the first mountain, Manaslu. Over the next two years, the clean up project will tackle the pollution problem on Everest, Ama Dablam and K2.
Nimsdai says: “I’m happy to say that despite heavy snow on Manaslu, we were able to start the Big Mountain Cleanup. This was our first cleanup and a first step towards our main goal – cleaning Everest next year. Our team cleaned 500kg of waste from this beautiful and sacred mountain.”
Jonathan Petty, managing director of Osprey, gave his support to the Nimsdai Foundation. He says: “Nimsdai is an outstanding advocate to the world we live in.
“Not only does he show us what you can achieve with sheer determination and passion but that you can also give back to the beauty of our planet. It is for this reason we are proud to stand alongside Nimsdai and his Big Mountain Cleanup quest.”
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