Now that you've read the top 3 essays in our 2007 contest, I'm posting (for your reading pleasure) a handful of the finalists. Here's the first runner up, hailing from Brentwood, California.

Shangri-La Starts Here

by Mei-Ling McNamara

I am standing on a bridge overlooking the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, considered to be a holy river by the millions of Hindus and Buddhists who live in Nepal. The source of the Bagmati originates in the northern hills of the Kathmandu Valley, where it flows through gorges and past sacred shrines, to finally rest in the southern region of the Terai. At the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, bodies are brought daily to its banks for cremation, and last rites performed amidst a backdrop of mourners and pilgrims. The dead, as well as the living, are bathed and blessed by it, and the ashes of the deceased swept from the pyre into the waters below. The Bagmati River is to the Hindus of Nepal what the Ganges River is to the Hindus of India—a religious symbol that serves to purify spiritually and physically.

It is the most polluted river I have ever seen in my life.

In the center of town surrounded by an endless flow of traffic and noise, I am witness to an entirely different kind of death. The systematic death of a river. Floating below are the bloated carcasses of pigs and dogs, the flotsam of plastic bags and water bottles, the detritus of urban living and consumer waste. The color of the Bagmati here is a leaden brown, coated in a filmy, prismatic cast of oil. The smell of ammonia is so pungent that I have to cover my nose. Nearby, children splash in the shallows while farmers dole out the grey sludge onto their vegetable gardens. Even the fragrance of the white trumpet flower, which grows among the river’s tributaries, is lost amidst a swirling stench of sewage.

“At one time, around twenty-five years ago, the Kathmandu Valley was a Shangri-La,” says Bharat Basnet, founder of the Explore Nepal organization and owner of several eco-tourism ventures around the country. “Now,” he sighs, “look at it.” As an environmentally-conscious Nepalese entrepreneur, Bharat has sought to preserve and restore the heritage of Nepal, while facing an uphill battle of unregulated building, land degradation, and a failing infrastructure that cannot support the massive by-products of overpopulation.

He brought me here, along with a film crew of three others, to show us exactly what he is up against.

“People in the West don’t see where their garbage goes,” says Tim, my director, looking grimly down at the river, “They put things in the trash and forget about it. There’s a total disconnect. Here, you cannot ignore it – you can’t just make it go away. You have to live with it every day.”

Bharat has made it his personal mission to bring rivers like the Bagmati back to life. Among some of his ventures is the Kantipur Temple House, set back in a quiet garden on the outskirts of the Thamel district in Kathmandu. It is a beautifully wrought, eco-friendly hotel built by local craftsmen in the traditional Nepali style, when “houses used to be temples, and temples, houses,” Bharat says, almost wistfully. Some of his progressive changes include using renewable solar power, devising a water-saving flush system, installing fans instead of air-conditioning, and employing a plastic/cans free policy in the hotel. He also offers guests free airport pick-up by his battery-powered car, and provides cotton shopping bags as an alternative to using polythene bags.

Bharat also runs campaigns to clean-up Kathmandu, successfully lobbying to ban diesel buses in the capital, cleaning up temple areas and water sources, and spearheading a plastic-bag ban and recycling campaign. He also runs projects to support local initiatives and biodiversity in other parts of Nepal, organizing massive clean-ups on popular trekking and mountaineering routes, tree planting in deforested areas, and funding a drinking water reservoir.

“This is our future. I want to create a world I want to live in,” Bharat says. “Each of us has a responsibility and this is mine. This is not only a problem in impoverished areas. Many people here think if you clean up garbage you are somehow inferior. I have had people in rich neighborhoods throw garbage out their windows when they see we are coming by to pick it up.” He shakes his head, “Education and awareness are vital.”

Over the course of three months, I would travel over the Indian subcontinent and across Southeast Asia to document not only the pressing issues affecting our world, but how ordinary people like Bharat are doing extraordinary things to safeguard the planet.

In the wake of global climate concerns and ecological crises, accelerated modernization and unprecedented wildlife extinction, the sense of personal responsibility towards preserving our earth has never been more significant. While filming an ethical travel documentary, I worked with inspiring individuals who have dedicated their lives—often at great personal and professional risk—to community and conservation work. Some devote their time and resources rescuing and rehabilitating endangered species—many of which have been confiscated from the illegal pet and animal trade. Others work in permaculture—designing human systems based on natural ecosystems with the ultimate goal of establishing sustainable communities.

In remote villages and sprawling cities, in national parks and fragmented forests, our aim was not only to spotlight those trying to reduce their ecological footprint, but also to show how responsible travel could be a viable alternative to typical tourism.

According to World Bank assessments, tourism is the largest and most intensively developing world industry. The World Tourism Organization showed that 2006 was a peak year for world tourism, with an influx of an estimated 842 million persons. The greatest number of tourists occurred in South Asia – with a dramatic increase of 10%. World tourism arrivals are expected to increase by an average of 4.2% per year [Global Insight, April 2007]. At this current rate, by the year 2020, tourism arrivals worldwide will have reached 1.6 billion.

Though international travel can increase cultural exchange and awareness, and admittedly generate a significant amount of revenue, the role it plays is an ambivalent one. Tourists are often unaware of their impact in a different culture, and do not see how they affect socio-economic and socio-cultural development. The carrying capacity of natural environments is also compromised when it must meet the additional demands of tourists. The excessive use of water, firewood, or food is often incompatible with sustainable development, as are the cumulative effects of airplane emissions and consumer waste. Some tourist activities, such as trekking, mass tours and water sports, can already cause stress on already fragile ecosystems.

While tourists may have their hearts in the right place, they have little guidance on how far their responsibility extends toward the countries they visit. In a market that is highly competitive and exponentially expanding, well-informed consumers can make small choices that carry big impacts. For example, tourists can:

Travel as locally as possible. Though planes are sometimes necessary, taking local buses and trains, riding a bicycle, or exploring on foot greatly reduces the amount of air pollution you contribute.

Take part in a project that gives something back, whether it is an eco-tour that directly benefits the community, a volunteer project that aids in conservation efforts or a social development organization that addresses a local need.

Support local artisans and craftsmen, and find out where the products have come from. Tourism is a massive income-generating industry, but paradoxically, many residents and businesses of tourist areas get no more than 10-15% of money spent by visitors. The remainder goes to transport companies, foreign tourist agencies, communications industries and food and goods suppliers.

Don’t buy exotic animal goods. The illegal wildlife trafficking trade is ranked third in the world next to drugs and arms. It is this insatiable appetite for the exotic, typically from outside countries, which serves to create swathes of “empty forests” and directly contributes to the mass extinction of wildlife.

Use and Re-use your own products, such as water bottles and bags. Try to reduce your usage of packaging by only purchasing what you really need. Rivers, forests, waterways and the communities and wildlife that rely on them can be dramatically affected by consumer waste.

Learn about a country before you visit. Countries are more than just destinations – they are living, breathing systems that warrant the same respect and care as your own. Take time to understand the cultural mores, the environmental and social issues and what you can do to minimize any impact on your travel.

One of many inspiring people I met in Asia told me something that has remained with me far after returning home. As a teacher, when students ask him advice about what they should do, he tells them:

"It is your life. It is your choice. This is your story. You write the pages in the book of your life. When you are old, don’t you want to make it one you want to read?”

I know I do.