Spending a night out under the stars is one of the highlights of life everyone should try out every once in a while. No phones, no PDAs, no Internet, no light pollution, and no air pollution. Just the stars spread out over the night sky like an ornate blanket. Waking up to the chirping of birds and crisp, undefiled air. Everyone should try it at least once in their lives.
But the privilege of the camping experience also carries some weight of responsibility. The fact that the earth is having so many problems on account of man’s activities should be clear enough to everyone by now. So on Earth Day, let me list down some tips to make your camping experience more eco friendly, while minimizing your environmental impact.
- Use a large collapsible bottle so that you don’t need to make repeated trips to the waterhole.
- Soft soled shoes should be worn around the campsite to minimize damage to the ground.
- Waste water should be directed or emptied onto dry ground or vegetation, not into a stream or river.
- Don’t camp near old, sickly, or decaying trees, and choose a level, well-drained spot without clayey soil so that the areas won’t mark so easily. Don’t chop down anything unless there is a very good reason.
- Use biodegradable soap/shampoo or best don’t use them. Dispose of them well away from water sources.
- Try not to level the ground on which your camp sits. Place cloths under your sleeping mat to make it level.
- Use light weight stoves as far as possible. If you must light a camp fire, do it in a hollow and minimize use of firewood (by using waste paper perhaps).
- Remember to bring back with you all non-biodegradable material from your campsite. Nothing could be worse than leaving behind a litter strewn campsite and knowing it came from you.
If you’ve been spending too much time in your cubicle, it’s good to go out once in a while, and enjoy it – while it’s still the way it is. But do your best to make sure the only marks you leave behind are your footprints.
This may not have anything to do with tech, but I would think most geeks do bother (at least a little) about the earth, including yours truly 🙂
