Dyrud, M. (2022, August), Polluting the Pristine: Using Mount Everest to Teach Environmental Ethics  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40415

\bibitem{asee_peer_40415}
  Dyrud, M. (2022, August), \emph{Polluting the Pristine: Using Mount Everest to Teach Environmental Ethics}
  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN.
  10.18260/1-2--40415

Marilyn Dyrud.  "Polluting the Pristine: Using Mount Everest to Teach Environmental Ethics".  2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August.  ASEE Conferences, 2022.  https://peer.asee.org/40415 Internet.  06 Jul, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_40415}
  Marilyn Dyrud.
  "Polluting the Pristine: Using Mount Everest to Teach Environmental Ethics".
  \emph{2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2022.
  https://peer.asee.org/40415 Internet.  06 Jul, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_40415
author = "Marilyn Dyrud"
title = "Polluting the Pristine: Using Mount Everest to Teach Environmental Ethics"
booktitle = "2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2022"
month = "August"
address = "Minneapolis, MN"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/40415}
number = {10.18260/1-2--40415}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - “Because it’s there,” George Mallory famously responded in 1923 to the question “Why climb 
Mount Everest?” posed by New York Times reporters. The next year, he and climbing partner 
Andrew “Sandy” Irvine walked into the clouds of Mount Everest and vanished for 75 years: his 
remains were discovered in 1999, sans evidence that he had reached the summit, and Irvine has 
yet to be located. Despite their highly publicized demise, Mallory and Irvine’s heroic efforts did 
little to dissuade future adventurists; thousands of optimistic souls, now mostly members of 
commercial ventures, have since attempted to summit, with a significant mortality rate. Three 
decades later, New Zealand beekeeper Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay
finally reached the top of the world, opening the floodgates.
The deluge of climbers brings with them a mountain of supplies and support personnel, including 
Sherpa, porters and yaks, guides, cooks, medical staff. Summit seekers wend their way through 
four camps above Base Camp, shedding equipment as they climb: depleted oxygen canisters,
tents, broken items, a variety of smaller detritus, and, of course, human waste, up to 14 tons per 
climbing season. As a result, Mount Everest, in addition to being the tallest peak in the world, is 
also the world’s highest garbage heap. It is a far cry from the awe-inspiring beauty Mallory, 
Irvine, and other climbers witnessed nearly a century ago. 
This paper will explore the complex issue of the environmental degradation of Mount Everest, 
focusing on ethical implications such as environmental stewardship and waste management, and 
offer suggestions for classroom implementation. Specifically, the paper will examine
background, classroom suitability, problem definition, ethical considerations, and potential 
engineering solutions, such as the Mount Everest Biogas Project and a variety of 
retrieval/recycling efforts. Instructors in search of a unique and compelling ethics case should 
consider incorporating a module featuring the pollution of Mount Everest.
AU  - Marilyn Dyrud
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Polluting the Pristine: Using Mount Everest to Teach Environmental Ethics
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/40415
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--40415
ER  -