How to do your part while enjoying beautiful Mother Earth
What type of mark do you leave? How does that apply to your relationship with Nature?
During this era of self isolation a lot of individuals are heading to the wilderness for some overdue breaths of fresh air. With the influx of people out hiking trails and near bodies of water I’ve seen an overwhelming amount of trash accumulating.
It quickly reminded me that, as necessary as our daily doses of vitamin D, it's imperative that we're each doing our part in protecting the environment we're exploring. And while I'm grateful to have been born into the house of an outdoorsman; taught early on how to care for the habitats around me, I'm aware that not everyone was instilled with those values. Thankfully, us humans are creatures that can easily learn and adapt!
What is leave no trace?
Leave no trace is a rule of thumb that should be applied everywhere you go, but especially in the outdoors. It's mindfully ensuring that everything brought along is packed up and hauled back out with you.
Even in the case of natural items (i.e. apple cores, orange peels, etc), it should be taken back with you. If it doesn’t grow within the natural ecosystem of the immediate environment, it needs to be taken out with you. The goal should be to leave it even better than it was found.
This especially applies to pet and human waste. Let me just make this a known thing, there is no dog poop fairy that comes and picks up your already bagged dog poop. I mean seriously - you did half the work already! I know, I know, dog poop stinks. Even my adventure buddy doggo hates packing his own poop out! But guess what...he does it.
When nature calls while in nature
There are some rules that should be taken into consideration when considering a number two.
If you're near water, make sure you are at least 200 feet from that water
If applicable, dig a hole at least 6 inches deep to do your business in
Make sure you have eco-friendly/biodegradable toilet paper and leave that in the hole,too
Don't shit next to or on the trail. Yes, this should go without saying but here we are...and nobody wants to step in your business, thank you!
The life of what gets left behind
Most trash will not decompose in our lifetime...or even your childrens'. Heck, potentially not at all. How wild is that?!
Each footprint or brush up against a boulder, and every single thing that gets left behind makes an impact on the ecosystem. Have you ever been to a cave where you're not allowed to touch anything? That's because even the oil in our skin disrupts the natural progression of things. Therefore, it's always beneficial to stay mindful of where you go and how you interact with your surroundings.
Moral of the story is that this is our world to change, and that starts with the thoughts leading to our actions. This is a call to be more mindful about how we take care of the one who provides for us. Mother Earth gives us everything we need in life for free; the least we could do is pick up after ourselves. Mere strides toward being the best humans we can be, I say.
Tips and tricks for leaving no trace
Bring a trash bag with you to collect your trash and any trash that you find.
Use a refillable water bottle or bladder (make sure to bring appropriate amount of water). The more reusable items the better!
Bring poop bags for your furry friends and take it back out with you.
Be mindful of where you walk and what you touch.
Stay on marked trails as often as possible.
Leave it better than you found it.
Don’t pack things that will be hard to take out.
Leave glass at home.
Plan a friendly outing at your local hot spot to pick up trash.
Dig holes or take your human waste back out with you.
By Adun Shrecengost
Comments