This is a guest post by Douglas Moore.
It’s never too early to start thinking about camping season, especially while hibernating during the dead of winter. Suffering from cabin fever? Look ahead to an adventurous camping excursion with your family once this brutal winter finally breaks. A camping trip is the family’s warm light at the end of a snow-flurried, bone-chilling winter tunnel. Plan an upcoming camping trip that’s not only super fun, but kind to our earth.
Photo: anjanettew/Flickr
Eco-Packing Tips
- Start with the essentials — a tent and sleeping bags for shelter and staying warm at night. Unless you’re avid campers, ask family or friends if you can borrow a tent or sleeping bags. Before investing in a collection of camping gear, think about whether you’ll actually get use out of your investment or if the gear will just collect dust and take up space in your garage. For the family of camping connoisseurs who have saved up to splurge on good gear, GreenYour.com offers a guide on eco-sleepers made with green materials such as coconut husk fiber, plastic soda bottles and bamboo fill.
- Rather than buying dozens of plastic water bottles, soda cans or juice boxes, give everyone BPA-free Nalgene bottles that can be refilled with filtered water. Look into water filter bottles, such as Brita’s reusable filtering bottles or Camelbak’s Groove that turns tap water into freshly filtered water. (Make sure the campsite has a reliable water source.)
- Favorite camping rituals revolve around campfire cooking and munching on snacks. For an organic breakfast feast, scramble organic eggs and fry up some bacon. Cook up a healthy medley of organic veggies and brown rice for lunch or dinner. Still hungry? Break open a can of Eden’s organic canned beans or dig into homemade overnight no-cook Goji coconut oatmeal, a delicious recipe by Annaliisa’s Organic Kitchen. Choose certified-organic snacks free of genetically modified organism (GMO) ingredients and pesticide residues. Check out some products on Organic Gardening’s list of “best organic snack foods.“
Mindful of the Environment
While in the company of Mother Nature, keep in mind the following tips to avoid abusing our beautiful planet.
- Abide by the polite requests of the campground, such as “stay on hiking trails” or “please don’t feed the animals.” You’re guests of nature, so practice courtesy and common sense — keep the peace, collect trash and pick up after your pet.
- If you’re into power sports and trail riding during your camping outing, make sure to be mindful of nature and the surrounding environment. First, make sure you have a spark arrestor to keep any sparks from firing out of your exhaust and potentially causing a fire. If you’re going to be riding at a different altitude than normal, make sure you’ve jetted your carburetor properly so you get a clean burn of fuel and aren’t polluting. Finally, protect yourself and make sure you have the right riding gear, clothing and equipment.
- Preserve the natural elements of your campsite as much as possible, and don’t destroy the natural habitat. Bring your own wood and reusable steel roasting forks for cooking over the fire pit in place of tree logs and branches.
- Reduce as much as trash as you can by using reusable and biodegradable plates and cutlery. Replace napkins and paper towels with cloth towels, and use those water bottles to quench thirsts. (Again, make sure the campsite has appropriate facilities for washing your dinnerware—with eco-friendly dish soap, of course). Dispose of trash in the recommended garbage receptacle, and bring recyclable items home to put in proper recycle bins.
About the Author: Doug Moore is a blogger and freelance writer from British Columbia.
