PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Dec 11: Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) does the Steel City proud.
It has become the first outdoor organisation in India to launch an eco-friendly initiative for providing biodegradable sanitary pads to all female participants in its outdoor courses and expeditions.
TSAF aims to achieve zero waste camps and minimise its impact on trails.
This new initiative by TSAF goes with the theme of International Mountains Day 2021 – to promote ‘sustainable mountain tourism’.
All the camps and activities at TSAF follow the zero waste principle, where all the waste generated during the course is either reduced, reused, or recycled.
Bachendri Pal, mentor, Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, said: “TSAF’s new initiative of introducing biodegradable sanitary pads is a welcome step towards sustainable mountain tourism and women hygiene. Our aim is to protect and conserve one of the most beautiful mountaineering destinations in the world. Sanitary napkins during expeditions are often thrown into ponds, rivers, and lakes, thus contaminating the water bodies or thrown in the open which in return pollute the soil and endangers the wildlife around. The introduction of biodegradable sanitary pads will help encourage TSAF’s female participants to achieve zero waste camps during group trails and expeditions.”
Every year, the Himalayas attract approximately 7 lakh tourists from across the globe.
The increase in tourism has led to a growing concern of mixed waste management, of which, plastic is the main constituent, that not only scars the picturesque mountain landscapes, but can lead to land degradation, air pollution, and destabilised mountain slopes, among others.
TSAF, through its various programmes, engages over 5000 participants from B-schools, corporations and individual tourists who participate in expeditions, with 15 to 20 percent of them being women. The foundation aims to curb the damage caused to the environment due to sanitary pads wastage, by providing free organic biodegradable sanitary pads.
