Green Living Tip Tuesday: Go Green Camping

Camping is my newly discovered passion – a perfect way to recharge after a long stressful work week.  And for all campers new and seasoned here are some helpful tips on how to enjoy the great outdoors without harming it.

Stay on the right paths. Get good, established trail maps from the visitor center before you embark on your trip.

Minimize your impact on your campsite. Select a site that has already been used, to eliminate further expansion of the camp. And leave the campsite in as natural a state as possible.

Follow the Golden Rule for camping and hiking. “Take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints.”

Wash yourself, your dishes and your clothes at least 100 feet away from rivers, streams, lakes or ponds. Use biodegradable soaps and detergents. When using any soap to wash yourself or your dishes, use it well away from natural water sources and pour it into highly absorbent ground. That goes for tooth brushing, too.

Keep fires small, use only dead wood and fully extinguish the fire before you go to sleep or leave the camp site.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User Daniel Greene