We've been hearing it since we were kids. "Only you can help prevent (insert name of environmental impact)." Protecting the planet means leaving it the way we found it. It's up to us to stop hurting the environment. However, it's easy to forget the fundamentals of being responsible out in nature. Do your part in keeping our world healthy.
Dispose of waste properly.
Pack it in, pack it out applies to every single thing you bring to the area.
This is a simple lesson we all learned in kindergarten, pick up after yourself. Even better, actively contribute to the quality of an area by picking up small pieces of litter, it’s good karma.
Small tips for this include avoiding creating one piece trash and designating a trash pocket.
One piece trash avoids the creation of miniscule pieces of trash such as wrapper corners, which are small but unsightly and just as harmful to wildlife.
Trash pockets are small but can carry over into your daily life. Find a spot in your jacket, backpack, purse or pants where you always put trash. Now you have a spot where you can put trash you pick up and trash you create. No more waiting for a trash can!
Leave what you find.
Principle 3 and 4 are connected. The best way to summate the two is “take only photos, leave only footprints.” Leaving no trace on an environment is both active and passive. If you remove an interesting artifact or natural specimen, you effectively ruin that experience for future users.
Another connection with Principle 3 is defining an artifact. What is an artifact but old trash? After 50 years, the item is considered a historical artifact of the area. This could be a native arrowhead or a an old 7-up bottle. By removing these, you deprive future users of historical understanding
This includes structures as well. Do not vandalize or otherwise destroy historical or culutral structures and do not creat your own structures. Do not build A frames or “survival structures” and do not dig trenches or benches or chairs.
Use fire responsibly.
If you are building a fire, be careful with it. One only needs to look to serious wildfires out west to understand the damage to natural areas and loss of life caused by irresponsible fire impacts.
Further, be attentive and responsible to the fuel sources for your fire.Only use deadfall and do not strip trees of small twigs to start your fire. When having a fire on a beach, bring your own wood. The process of gradual removal of fuel in proximity to riverbanks or shores accelerates erosion and kills trees on the banks, further eroding the fragile shoreline.
Fire is a tool and can add so much to an experience, but it is absolutely important we behave responsibly as a collective community. If you want to heat up food or drink, consider a small isobutane canister stove. Not only is a a stove more efficient in terms of time but it doesn’t have a long term impact on the area.