USE ME – About first steps of environmental care and education

During our last field trip in July through the region of Helambu and along the trekking trail we made our way to the village Melamchi Ghyang to meet Mr. Purna Gautam. He is the lodge owner of the Eco-friendly Home and Lodge and the Principal of the Melamchi Ghyang Secondary School. Mr. Gautam lost his once beautiful Home and Lodge during the Earthquakes in 2015. Moreover, the school got damaged completely by that time. He took his time to explain us in detail about his personal escape from the school as he was inside the building when it happened. Luckily, he and his family could be saved without bigger injuries. We not only could talk about the past times, but also got an idea of his honourable work and effort he achieved since he moved to Melamchi Ghyang in his mid-twenties. From the beginning he tried hard to turn that village into a more worth living place in order to improve the quality of life for the local people. Next to his great success of the establishment of a school for the children from Melamchi Ghyang and all the villages nearby, he is deeply concerned about environmental issues and how to reach a higher level of sustainability.

Waste bins are a first step for a more sustainable handling of nature

In order to mitigate the climate change impacts in Melamchi Ghyang, he and his school started to conduct regular clean-up campaigns within the village and the surrounding nature to keep the places as clean as possible. Mr. Gautam already established dust bins within the village and in the school area to promote proper waste collecting. He always encourages all villagers not to through plastic trash in the nature. The achievements of Mr. Purna Gautam are a very great start. We are very pleased to support him and the whole community in their climate concerns through our Environmental Education Program from the next months to increase the quality of life of the villagers and to ensure the protection of their beautiful environment.