Coca-Cola and Himalayan Climate Initiative (HCI), long-term partners have joined hands with the Nepal Army for the Mountain Cleaning Campaign 2021.

This is the second edition of the national cleanup program to keep the Himalayas clean from waste.

The multi-stakeholder program is aimed at protecting the mountains and minimizing the effects of climate change by cleaning up six peaks, which include Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Pumori, and Ama Dablam. 

Lt Col Deepak Bhandari, Media Coordinator, Mountain Cleaning Campaign 2021, “We are delighted that the Coca-Cola system is supporting the efforts set by the Nepal Army and the Government of Nepal, to clean the glorious mountains of the nation.

Our goal is to extract as much waste as possible from the peaks to restore the glory of the Himalayas.

In addition, we are engaging with communities and partners to increase awareness of keeping the mountains clean, as we know education is key to changing behavior.”

In 2019, Led by the Nepal Army, Coca-Cola along with multi-stakeholders successfully carried out the first mountain cleanup campaign named “Mt. Everest Clean Up 2019”.

Through this campaign, 4,892 Kgs and 5,694 Kgs of waste were collected from Mt. Everest and Everest Base Camp respectively. 

 

 

Pradip Pandey, Managing Director of Bottlers Nepal Limited, “We laud the efforts of the Nepal Army to clean up the Himalayan peaks and bring together like-minded partners to support this urgent cause.

We are honored to be a part of an exemplary joint effort to keep the pride of Nepal pristine.

Wishing the team leaders and members leading the cleanup expedition,  all the very best.” 

This program has established a platform for various government, non-profit organizations, and private sector companies having a common interest in working towards protecting the environment and conserving the natural pride and beauty of Nepal.

Adarsh Avasthi, Country Director of The Coca-Cola Company in Nepal said, “Our global World Without Waste vision is to help collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030.

We are committed to playing our part in addressing the broader plastic waste challenge and through the Mountain Cleaning Campaign we hope to keep Nepal clean”.

In 2018, Coca-Cola globally announced World Without Waste, with an aim of collecting and recycling the equivalent of all bottles and cans that it produces by 2030.

In support of its global vision, Coca-Cola in Nepal has taken upon many recycling initiatives in order to achieve the “World Without Waste” objectives in the coming decade through its several projects namely Nagarmitra, Recycler Saathi, and Refresh & Recycle.

During the month of December, a white-bearded man dressed in a red coat with a white fur collar and cuffs carrying a bag over his shoulders has been quite a common sight to see in Nepal, especially since the past decade. They seem to be almost everywhere this time of the year, from the malls, the superstores, and the roads of New Road.  It’s always good to see these men jolly in the red and white costumes, singing songs, waving their hands to pedestrians, and wishing a wonderful Christmas to everyone they see. 

Prior to 1931, Santa Claus had a very different look to what we know and love now. Back then, Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf. A Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus Harper's Weekly in 1862 as a small elf-like figure who supported the union. Nast, later on, continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he’s known for today.

89 years ago, thanks to one man's imagination and artistic touch, the contemporary vision of Santa Claus as a jolly-looking gentleman with a white beard was born. Created by Swedish-American artist Haddon Sundblom for a long-running series of holiday advertisements for Coca-Cola, today's cherished version of Santa Claus is at once recognizable around the world as an emblem of the holiday season.

The Coca-Cola version of Santa was first introduced in 1931, created by a Swedish-American artist Haddon Sundblom, appearing in a series of print ads in - The Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, and other U.S. publications. The captivating images struck a chord with the public, which almost instantly adopted the lovable personification as an enduring symbol of Christmas. Over the next few decades, the artist's depictions of Saint Nicholas evolved into the picture-perfect look of "Father Christmas" - the man in the red and white suit with the big brass belt buckle.

From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola advertising showed Santa delivering toys (and playing with them!), pausing to read a letter and enjoy a Coke, visiting with the children who stayed up to greet him, and raiding the refrigerators at a number of homes. 
Another fun fact is that the Coca-Cola Santa was based on a salesman. Sundblom initially modeled Santa's smiling face after the cheerful, somewhat wrinkled features of a friendly retired salesman Lou Prentiss. When Prentiss passed away, Sundblom used himself as a model, painting while looking into a mirror. Finally, he began relying on photographs to create the image of St. Nick.

The Coca-Cola Santa image was so loved by people that they started paying very close attention to details of him and when anything changed, they sent letters to The Coca-Cola Company. Once when Santa’s belt was backward and the other when Santa Claus appeared without a wedding ring, causing fans to write asking what happened to Mrs. Claus.

Santa Claus got a new friend in 1942 named “Sprite Boy," a character who appeared with Santa Claus in Coca-Cola advertising throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Sprite Boy, who was also created by Sundblom, got his name due to the fact that he was a sprite or an elf. (It wasn’t until the 1960s that Coca-Cola introduced the popular beverage Sprite.)

Sundblom created his final version of Santa Claus in 1964, but for several decades to follow, Coca-Cola advertising featured images of Santa based on Sundblom’s original works. These paintings are some of the most prized pieces in the art collection in the company’s archives department and have been on exhibit around the world, infamous locales including the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Isetan Department Store in Tokyo, and the NK Department Store in Stockholm. Many of the original paintings can be seen on display at World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Ga.

In 2001, the artwork from Sundblom's 1963 painting was the basis for an animated TV commercial starring the Coca-Cola Santa. The ad was created by Academy Award-winning animator Alexandre Petrov.Coca-Cola definitely did not create the legend of Santa Claus. But Coca-Cola advertising did play a big role in shaping the jolly character that we know of today.

Also read:

EASY TRACKING OF MOBILE SETS STOLEN OR LOST

5 BEST DIGITAL WALLETS IN NEPAL

WHY DOES ONE NEED LIFE INSURANCE?

NEW DRIVING LICENSE TEST MAY RESUME ONLY AFTER TWO MONTHS

GOOGLE MAKES IT EASIER TO SYNC INFO ACROSS DEVICES

GO SMS PRO IS LEAKING CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGES, DATA OF MILLIONS OF USERS EXPOSED    

The Centre for Integrated Urban Development, with support from WaterAid Nepal and The Coca-Cola Foundation, has handed over Rainwater Harvesting and Groundwater Recharge project to Rajdal Army Barrack.  The collaborative project which commenced on January 2020 has successfully concluded on 28th Feb 2021 with a handover ceremony at the Rajdal Army Barrack, Lagankhel-Lalitpur in presence of Chiribabu Maharjan, Mayor, Lalitpur Metropolitan City. 

Situated at the highest point of Patan City, Lagankhel area is a natural recharge zone where groundwater is recharged, thereby feeding community wells and stone spouts. The project has been executed with the objective of recharging groundwater in Lagankhel and its peripheral areas and demonstrating this technology among wider communities.

51 recharge wells along with 51 filter chambers were constructed inside the premises of the barrack. The expected volume of potential water recharge, through these wells, is 5 crore and 10 lakh liters annually. Additionally, to remove silt and sand from the surface runoffs, three desilting basins were also constructed in the area where runoff water is likely to carry dirt. One rain garden has also been constructed to demonstrate the efficacy of such initiatives towards groundwater recharge.

Alongside, motivational and awareness programs on groundwater recharge were conducted in the wider communities involving local authorities, civil society organizations, and academic institutes.

Groundwater is one of the key sources of water in Kathmandu Valley. Groundwater is extracted through household and community wells and it is also obtained through stone spouts and spring outlets. Every monsoon, groundwater is recharged naturally when the rainwater is injected underground through porous soil surfaces and ponds. Additionally, water collected from nearby catchment areas and canals also significantly contribute to natural groundwater recharge and maintaining (or increasing) the groundwater level.

This groundwater table is, however, depleting, due to two major reasons- sealing of the natural recharge zones and unregulated extraction of groundwater. 

The groundwater table can be maintained by an artificial recharge process through the construction of recharge wells which are simple and low-cost structures that can be promoted at strategic locations by concerned institutes or individual households. It can also be achieved by reviving community ponds. Groundwater recharge also manages stormwater, thereby, reducing urban flooding. 

Chiribabu Maharjan, Mayor- Lalitpur Metropolitan City was delighted to be part of the event. He thanked CIUD, WaterAid, The Coca Cola Foundation, and Rajdal Army barrack for implementing the Rainwater Harvesting and Groundwater recharge project in Lalitpur Metropolitan city

Ambuj Singh, Country Director of Coca-Cola Company in Nepal shared, “The Coca-Cola Company has made a pioneering commitment to replenish more water than what we use in our beverages. We have a responsibility to protect & replenish water resources, promote responsible water use and help to ensure access to clean water for all. Our partnership with WaterAid in Nepal is taking action to encourage and drive implementation of water-conserving practices and other innovative projects that provides water supply to urban and rural communities.”