There is one perpetual piece of camping advice that most campers know, and which will already take you pretty far in ensuring that your latest camping trip is an eco-friendly one: leave the place as you found it.
Indeed, one of the worst things campers can do to the environment is pollute it with trash. If you are close to a campsite that has some form of trash disposal, then you can deposit it there. In the vast majority of cases, however, you should bring your trash with you. After all, you could fit all your food items and other disposal products into your backpack when you came, so you should certainly have room for all the empty wrappers. They’ll be lighter anyway!
Of course, though, this is common camping advice and most responsible campers know all about it. Nature, unlike cities, hasn’t been designed with human convenience in mind, and you should take that into account and ensure you can, to quote an eternally repeated phrase, “leave no trace”.
Rollercam, a company specializing in tie-down equipment such as cam buckle straps for bringing along heavy items attached to the roof of a vehicle, say that while motor travel is indeed essential for most people to reach remote camping spots, it needn’t bring with it the type of pollution we associate with cities. All it takes is a bit of diligence.
The Environmental Impact of Camping
The best way to do something about the environmental impact of your camping trip is to learn a bit about what the environmental impact of camping typically is. When environmental protection is spoken of with regards to camping, it is rarely in reference to the global issues of which we are all very familiar.
Instead, the environmental impact of camping is related to the local areas where camping is popular – things like trail erosion, the aforementioned trash pollution, and problems like invasive species hitching a ride with campers to an area where they were not previously widespread.
Of course, car travel to camping areas brings with it a carbon footprint, but the problem here is the same as the problem of making long journeys in general and do not really pertain to eco-camping. That said, it certainly would not hurt to do something about this, perhaps by travelling to closer camping areas.
Tips for Eco-Camping
So, with all of that said, here is what you can do to be green camper:
Limit Trash
Bringing your trash with you when you go is one thing, but simply limiting the amount of trash you bring – period – is even better. Instead of buying things like individually wrapped snacks, bring food in larger unit quantities. Even if you get your trash into a bin, it still has an environmental impact.
Safely Put Out Fires
You probably couldn’t damage a natural environment more than by accidentally starting a fire. At worst, these can be truly catastrophic. Always ensure the fire is all the way out before you depart, and do not leave anything flammable behind you.
Bring Natural Body Products
We are talking here about camping essentials such as sunscreen, bug repellent, lotions, and so on. These go on your body, of course, but after that they make it into the local environment. Bringing only natural products will ensure it is not an eco-disaster when it inevitably happens.
These are just some ways of enjoying the great outdoors without destroying it. It is a wonderful thing that more people than ever are venturing into nature, but it can soon become less than wonderful if they destroy it as they do so.
