He started from Camp IV (South Col 7950m) at 12 midnight on May 21 and reached the peak with the members of Eco Everest expedition.
The members of Eco Everest expedition were:

• Mr. Arjun Vajpai, India
• Miss Mamata Sodha-India
• Mr. Mika Pitkamaki, Finland,
• Mr. Timo Allan Ilmari Jaatien, Finland
• Mr. David Liano Gonzalez, Mexican
• Mr. Pasang Temba Sherpa, Namche 7, Nepal
• Mr. Pasang Rita Sherpa, Namche 9, Nepal
• Mr. Phurba Tshering Sherpa, Namche 8, Nepal
• Mr. Tshering Phinjo Sherpa, Khumjung 1, Nepal
• Mr. Samden Bhote, Shankhawa 2, Nepal
• Mr. Sonam Tshering Sherpa, Khumjung 1 and
• Mr. Sonam Tshering Sherpa – Chaurikharka 1, Nepal
• Mr. Nawang Karsang Sherpa-Khumjung 1, Nepal

Vajpai Arjun (18 days 11 Months and 16years) is the youngest Indian to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Nima Tshering Sherpa, Tshering Phinjo Sherpa and Arjun Vajpai started from Camp IV (South Col 7950m) at 10:24 pm on 21 May and reached the summit of Mt. Everest at 6:33 am on May 22.

Earlier, three members of the Eco Everest expedition reached the summit of Mt. Everest on May 17 at 8:11. They are:

• Miss Cleonice Pacheco Weidlich (Origin Brassil) – USA
• Mr. Dawa Tshering Sherpa, Thame Village, Nepal
• Mr. Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, Khumjung 2, Nepal

Similarly, three members of the Lhotse Expedition 2010 Kazakhstan reached the summit of Mt. Lhotse (8516m), on 16 May at 13h40min. The members are:

• Expedition Leader Mr. Maxut Zhumayev –Kazakhasta
• Mr. Pivtsov Vassiliy – Kazakhstan and
• Mr. Chekhlov Vladislav – Kazakhasta

Asian Trekking Family extends heartfelt congratulations to all the successful Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Everest Expedition Summit participants.

Appa Sherpa, SAARC Good will Ambassador for Climate Change, carried the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 Campaign flag and the WWF banner with the slogan ” YOU HEARD OUR VOICE, NOW RAISE YOURS – WE CAN STOP CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE HIMALAYAS “to the top of the Everest to draw international attention for 2011 campaign of Nepal Tourism and global warming and climate change.

The Eco Everest Expedition 2010 is led by two times Everest conqueror, Dawa Steven Sherpa, an ardent advocate of climate change issues. Dawa Steven is the executive director of Asian Trekking (P) Ltd., and a WWF climate for Life Ambassador.

Eco Everest Expedition is ruled by Asian Trekking and emphasizes on climbing in an eco-sensitive way and field testing different methods of eco-sensitive to be taken when climbing in the Himalayas. This year, the team returned to base camp with around 5,000 pounds of old waste.

The team also brought all human waste produced by the climbers of the expedition and Sherpa. The expedition has called for submissions for others to follow suit. In this effort, the Eco Everest Expedition has also provided other expeditions on the mountain with Re-Stop bags (toilet bags).
In 2008, Eco Everest Expedition team brought 965 pounds of waste, 75 pounds of human waste from the top of the base camp. Similarly Eco Everest Expedition in 2009 brought 6,000 pounds of waste under the “Cash for Trash” program that included 115 pounds of human waste products.

The remains of an Italian military helicopter in the same year have also been recovered from the edge of the Khumbu Icefall (5486m). The helicopter crashed between Camp I and Camp II (approx. 6200m) on the Mt. Everest during the Italian Expedition to Everest in 1973. This probably shows the movement of the Khumbu Icefall (5450m) 1.3 km in the last 37 years. The Eco Everest Expedition team brought 700 kilos of the crashed helicopter.
From 2008 to date Eco Everest Expedition has gathered more than 12,000 kilograms of waste from the previous issue and more than 300 pounds of human waste products from Mt. Everest for proper disposal. The main authors of trash collection for 2008 and 2009 is by Asian Trekking and 2010 by Asian Trekking, Reinhold Messner, The North Face and The Alpine conservation.

After being victim of personal losses and household during the Dig Tsho Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) on August 3, 1985, a direct result of melting glaciers in the Himalayas has been active in raising awareness climate change impacts on the fragile mountain environment and mountain communities.
The annual “Beat the GLOF Action Run and Save the Himalaya – Khumbu Festival” program will be held from June 4, 2010 in the Khumbu region of Mount Everest. The event is organized by iDEAS, an NGO formed by Dawa Steven Sherpa and Sherwi Yondhen Tshokpa, a network of Sherpa students.

Hundreds of local, national and international runners are going to start the Action Run from Khumjung and the road trip will follow as closely as possible the path of a GLOF which is potentially dangerous glacial lakes Imja Lake, Ngozumpa Lake or Dig Tsho is to burst its banks. The same day, Save the Khumbu Himalayan Festival will be held in the village of Khumjung with the support of various organizations.
Khumbu Youth groups compete in the traditional dance song contest. The festival is to promote and preserve the mountain culture and tradition. The event is sponsored by the North Face, Asian Trekking, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Himalayan Eco-Resort & Phakding Khumjung, Agni Air, Base Camp from Namche, Lukla and Lavilla-Sherpani Paradise Lodge Lukla.

International Director General of WWF, Jim Leape felicitated the “Climate-for-Life Ambassadors” with the highest honor given to an individual by WWF.

“Apa and Dawa represent real people from the real world. Their experiences are not based on somebody else´s data or research; they have witnessed with their own eyes the melting Himalayas. Their examples make us realize that climate Change is not just a term, rather it will have very real and very severe impacts on the lives of billions of people in the world,” a press release issued by WWF-Geneva quoted Leape.

WWF said that the award was given to Apa in credit of his taking up “the role of a true global citizen by drawing the attention of world leaders to the impacts of climate change” being felt by the people of the Himalayas and the need for urgent action. And Dawa received the honor for his “dynamic leadership and personal drive in helping people throughout the world to realize the perils faced by the people of the Himalayas as a result of climate change.”

Apa said after receiving the award, “The Sherpa people have always been close to nature and in turn nature has taken good care of us. But in recent times, we have had to face the wrath of nature and we realize that this is not because of our own doing but stems from the actions of industrialized nations.”

Dawa Sherpa speaking about the climate prejudice of developing nations said during the function, “We represent the Sherpa community who are at the forefront of Climate Change impacts; however we also represent the millions of people living downstream from the Himalayas who will also be directly impacted by this phenomenon.”

As a part of the European Expedition of the Climate-for-Life Campaign spearheaded by WWF Nepal, Apa and Dawa are in Geneva to raise awareness about Climate Change in the Himalayas. After Geneva they are scheduled to travel through Chamonix, Vienna, Brussels and finally to Copenhagen for the United Nations COP-15 Climate Change Conference.

WWF´s “Leaders for a Living Planet” award gives recognition to institutions, organizations and individuals for extraordinary attempts in promoting nature conservation around the world.

With the recognition, Apa and Dawa became the first Nepalese citizens to be bestowed with the tribute. Hungarian and Croatian prime ministers were awarded in the past in recognition of their governments´ commitment to create the largest river-protected area in the world in their trans-border zone. It was also awarded to the Paraguay government for introducing its Zero Deforestation Law.

Representing Nepal, PM Madhav Kumar Nepal is also going to participate in the meeting

On December 11th, which is marked as “Mountain Day” in the conference; mountaineers around the world are planning Copenhagen March in the leadership of record holder Appa Sherpa. Popular mountaineers around the world will induce developed nations to reduce carbon production and they will sign in support of saving mountains.

A press meeting was organized at Nepal Tourism Board on Monday, November 2nd to declare the plan of the government for the Copenhagen March and about the Ministerial meeting at Everest Base Camp (EBC) that is probably going to be held before 15th November.” The purpose of the meeting at EBC is to direct the attention of the world towards the Himalayas and the troubles the Himalayan people are going to face in the future due to the effect of climate change in Himalayas. (Some folks have profoundly criticized the plan of ministerial meeting at EBC because according to them the world will notice it as the mimicry of Maldives.)

On the meeting, Appa Sherpa, the 19-time Mt. Everest summitter said, “We will do everything possible to make “Save the Himalayas” and declaring the Himalayas as Green Zone campaigns a major success in the international society.

Appa further said, “It is important that the attention of the world community is drawn toward the plight of the people living in the lap of the Himalayas,” While it is urgent that Nepal engage in raising awareness on the issue, it is equally important to clean the heaps of waste disposed at the Everest base camp. Himalayas are the first that made Nepal popular to the world, so it is the duty of the Himalayan summitters to jointly save the Himalayas now.” Appa also discussed about the Dikcho Glacial Lake outburst in 1985 and the potentiality of Imja Glacial Lake outburst.

Another summitter, Shaili Bashnet disclosed the fact in the press meet that there was no Imja Lake until 1960, but now it is going to outburst. “Guess how fast the climate change is affecting our Himalayas. If this continues, mountain climbing will change into just rock climbing in some years. We have to make whole world know about these issues via Copenhagen conference” She said.

Another renowned Nepali climber Dawa Steven Sherpa expressed his confidence that at least a 1,000 people could be easily be mobilized for the Copenhagen march.

Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation Deepak Bohara questioned. “When we talk about the impact of global warming in the Arctic or on the island nations, why aren´t the Himalayas not mentioned?” “The Himalayas are melting and we can´t let the world remain a silent spectator,” Bohara said.

Minister Bohara informed about the government’s plan to invite former US President Bill Clinton and former US vice-president and leading ecological activist, Al Gore, and some other famous celebrities to attend the march as a sign of cohesion. He also said that Non-Resident Nepalese community in Europe will also be mobilized for the event.

Claudia W Sadoff, the World Bank representative said that the World Bank will support the government in its environmental awareness plan. She said “It is very exciting that Nepal is taking a lead role in raising awareness on the impact of climate change in the Himalayas and the World Bank will support it.

The Union of Asian Alpine Association (UAAA) has also committed to support the event.