| Spring has arrived and so has camping season. When getting back to nature, one can arrive in an SUV or tread lightly. The Leave No Trace Centre for Outdoor Ethics, based in Boulder, Colorado, offers seven principles for eco-camping. These include planning in order to minimize waste and being mindful of your impact on the land by keeping campsites small and on established camping areas. This means disposing of waste properly, using biodegradable, low-impact products as well as not removing artifacts or natural objects. An integral part of the camping experience, the centre also has suggestions for minimizing campfire impact. These include using established fire rings, keeping fires small and burning your fire to ash. Alternately, avoid campfires altogether by using a camping stove and a lantern. Additional tips include respecting wildlife by not feeding or approaching animals and keeping your pets under control. Always be considerate of other visitors by letting nature’s sounds prevail.
Choose to do your outdoor business in places where stewardship is practiced. Check to see if the campground you plan to pitch your tent at utilizes recycling where possible. Is it using renewable energy, participating in conservation and restoration projects, minimizing waste and educating visitors about local issues?
Eco-camping gear is readily available for you to pack up. From Eureka to Woods, most manufacturers have come out with affordable solar tents. The tents have solar panels on top to capture and store the sun’s rays and the energy can be used for interior LED lighting or to recharge your batteries. Solar lanterns, flashlights, battery chargers, radios, backpacks and even a solar portable shower will make your environmental camping experience feel luxurious. From the gear you pack to the clothing you wear, you can make your camping experience truly green. You can outfit yourself from head to toe in organic cotton, hemp or bamboo fibres. Mountain Equipment Co-op, Lululemon, Hemporium, Tilley and Patagonia all have extensive collections. Keen shoes and bags are the ultimate for outdoor enthusiasts – they’re funky, super comfortable, great for water sports and the company gives back to the community and makes some of its products with recycled materials. If you’re into vegan-wear, Earth shoes has an entire line made for you.
Green activities will also get you carbon neutral points. Choose fossil-free pursuits like hiking, biking, horseback riding, paddling, fishing, climbing and rafting over greenhouse-gas-generating four-by-fouring, jet-skiing, RVing, dirt biking and power boating. Or chill out in a hemp hammock with a copy of Cradle to Cradle, The Lorax or Walden.
If you’re ready to go camping, but you’re without fellow campers, there are a few places to get hooked up. Meetup.com has a group for camping in Calgary, and the Sierra Club Chinook Group, the Alpine Club of Canada, Bow Waters Canoe Club and the Calgary Area Outdoor Council are also good places to start. The University of Calgary Outdoor Centre offers outdoor programming and trips as well as wilderness survival courses.
FUN WITH FIELD GUIDES
Take these books camping to help you appreciate the local flora and fauna
· Birds of Alberta by Chris Fisher and John Acorn
· Wildflowers of Alberta by Kathleen Wilkinson
· Mammals of the Rocky Mountains by Chris Fisher, Don Pattie and Tamara Hartson
· A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America by Kent and Vera McKnight
· Butterflies of Alberta by John Acorn |
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