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Trash Your Trash

May 18, 2013

Litter. What an interesting concept. Out of all the activities that we as humans participate in, littering might be the strangest of them all. As a species, we are really good at creating waste. However, we are also pretty smart and have implemented easy ways to dispose of waste properly. So, to create waste and then toss waste products improperly, with complete abandonment, without consent, and in inappropriate locations seems almost inconceivable. Right?

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Hard to believe or not, litter is a pervasive problem. And as Leave No Trace advocates, it is consistently a topic of discussion. Who litters? Why do people litter? What is litter? How can we put an end to this destructive phenomenon?

Choosing to litter or being careless in the handling of waste is first and foremost a personal choice. This may stem from a lack of connection and communal ownership of public spaces or perhaps a feeling that trash “is not my responsibility,” someone else will clean it up. And unfortunately, litter begets litter. Once trash is on the ground, it will, without a doubt, attract more trash.

Litter is any type of waste thrown where it does not belong. This can include, but is not limited to, chewing gum, wrappers, dog poop, paper, cans, bottles, plastic bags and cigarette butts. Not only is litter an unsightly mess; it is also detrimental to our environment. Litter poisons animals, damages plants, contaminates water and pollutes soil. This is a serious problem that risks the health of our planet and the beauty of our lands. According to Keep America Beautiful, an estimated $11.5 billion is spent each year in the United States on litter cleanup projects. That is an expensive solution to an easily solvable problem.

Leave No Trace is committed to minimizing our impact by taking responsibility for not only the amount of waste we produce but what happens to it when it leaves our hands. On the road as Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers we are blessed to meet a lot of wonderful people. We were overly joyed when our paths crossed with an individual who is taking a stand against litter in beautiful and creative ways. Sharon Huff is picking up litter as she travels all over the United States and is transforming it into pieces of art. With all of her trash-inspired artwork she is building a Museum of Litter. Sharon is a leading figure in the discussion on litter, how we can end it, and how to use it creatively in the meantime. 

We encourage everyone to join the discussion on litter with your thoughts, words, and most importantly actions. You have a role to play in preventing litter.  It takes just one person to positively impact the behavior of others in their community and set and example by trashing your trash. We challenge you to reduce the amount of waste you produce and minimize your impact by focusing on creative ways you can reuse, up-cycle, or recycle. Museum of Litter is aiming to make litter a thing of the past and so should we!

May we all committed to the health of the Earth, as it is the source of ours.

Ninjas for Nature - dani & roland

 

 

 

Saco River Environmental Fair- Education at it's finest!

May 17, 2013

Fryeburg, ME.  What are you doing Memorial Day weekend?  Looking for a family friendly event in the great state of Maine?

Come on down to Fryeburg, ME for a FREE Environmental Fair and learn ways you can protect the beautiful waters of the Saco River.  

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Press Release: 

 

Saco River Recreational Council’s Environmental Fair May 25, 2013-Swans Falls Campground and River Access-Fryeburg, Maine The Saco River Recreational Council and its partners are having a free Environmental Fair at Swans Falls Campground in Fryeburg, Me on Saturday, May 25th at Swans Falls Campground in Fryeburg, Maine. If raining it will be held at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds Livestock cafeteria, enter at the Swans Falls gate.
 
The following organizations are all coming together to help educate visitors and our community about the organizations who work hard to protect our environment and how you can help. These organizations will set up tables for the day and do presentations that will run throughout the day starting with a presentation by the Saco River Recreational Council educating about the council, what they are doing and how you can help protect our waters and trees and environment as a whole. Other participants are Kate and Tracy, Traveling Trainers with Leave No Trace, The Maine Forest Pest Outreach Survey project, with the Maine Dept of Agriculture and the Maine Forest Service, Maine Forest Rangers, Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist, River Valley Healthy Communities, York County Invasive Aquatic Species Program, and the FPD Saco River Patrols.
 
Learn how to recognize the signs of invasive beetles and what to do about it, or learn about the river cleanups and volunteer programs, or how you can become a Courtesy Boat Inspector, or an Invasive Plant Patroller on your favorite waterbody. You can also talk to River Valley Healthy Communities about getting our kids active and outdoors and opportunities available for your community. Learn about Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics and programs available for educating and teaching Leave No Trace Principals.
 
Let’s do our best to protect the beautiful natural resources we are so lucky to have in our backyards. We all need to work together to protect our resources and together we do make a difference! For more information you may call 207-935-3395 or email michelle@sacorivercouncil.org
 
See you there!
Kate and Tracy

Leave No Trace Gear

May 16, 2013

People who travel and camp in the outdoors typically love gear. This blog entry is going to be devoted to those tech/gear nerds that love either the newest innovation or learning a new way to minimize their impact on the outdoors. Here is at least one item for each of the seven principals that you can use to help minimize your impact.

If you are planning a trip to a National Park in the US, check out the Chimani App for your smart phone. The Chimani app informs people about everything they could want to know about traveling and camping in different National Parks.  

When you are traveling and camping on durable surfaces there are a few items that are indispensable.  Gaiters can help you walk through muddy sections and puddles in the trail so that you do not have to walk off trail and crush vegetation or erode the sides of the trail. Check out The North Face’s selection of gaiters.  Collapsible buckets can help you reduce the amount of trips you take to a water source for your drinking and washing water. By reducing the amount a trips to a water source, you can cut down on the amount of undesignated trials that can be formed along a waterway.  Check out Sea to Summit collapsible buckets.

In order to dispose of waste properly, there are a variety of products that can be used to dispose of human waste and trash. The Restop Portable and Disposable Human Waste Solutions or the Cleanwaste Personal Human Waste Management are two options for human waste disposable.  If you need a reusable trash bag to pack out your trash and litter you find on the trail, check out the Trash dry bag by Sea to Summit.

A couple of items to bring along on a trip that can help you leave what you find are cameras and sketchbooks. By bringing along a camera or sketchbook you can preserve the memory of an item without taking it home with you. Check out REI for their selection of camera products and outdoor journals.

Minimizing campfire impacts requires a lot of gear to provide the benefits of heat, light, and warm food that a fire would provide for campers. Smartwool makes warm clothing to keep the wind and chilly weather from taking your heat. Headlamps made by Black Diamond are a great way to avoid needing a fire for light during a campout. Lastly, using a camp stove can help you cook delicious warm food and not have any of the impacts associated with campfires.  Coleman makes a variety of stoves that are easy to use and have great temperature control.  Lastly, if you want a fire, but want to make a minimum impact fire you can check out the Industrial Revolutions Firebowl.

Bear Canisters can be an effective way to keep bears from getting into your food. Garcia and Bear Vault are two options for protecting your food from bears.

Lastly, in order to be considerate to other visitors, with the exception of hunting season, use clothing that is earth tone or muted in color so you blend into the environment. 

Remember to be like Bigfoot and Leave No Trace!

Pat and TJ

The Situation: Responses to the April Situation

May 13, 2013

Every month in the Center's eNews, we pose a difficult Leave No Trace ethical and skills based situation for readers to comment on. Below is April's situation and a few of your responses.

What Would You Do?

It's a beautiful spring day, so you and your family go for a picnic. Upon arrival, you find your park littered with trash. This seems like a great opportunity to do a little community service, while also teaching your children the importance of the Leave No Trace principle Dispose of Waste Properly. How would you do it?

Here's what you said:

The beach as well! My wife and I spend a lot of time on the beach in Brigantine, NJ and we usually take along a few trash bags. We usually fill them without any difficulty. Such a shame that some much plastic and junk ends up on what is otherwise our favorite outdoor adventure spot.

               - Richard Hill

After learning from Dani and Roland my perspective about nature changed a lot more. I was already a responsible hiker. I packed in and packed out. Also I always felt bad when I saw trash. Sometimes I'd pack them out too. I'd leave the fruit peels that other's had left behind, assuming they do not hurt and will decay. They were an eye-sore but I did nothing. Lately in my hikes, I pack out the stuff many leave behind, knowing or unknowingly. I bring back the trash to the trail-head and dispose them responsibly. As person from the eastern half of the globe, I am helping tell my friends there to be responsible and leave no trace. In those places, there are no formal trail-heads but they have learnt to pack out. In any case it is not a great burden to pack out as we leave behind a cleaner environment for future hikers and not disturb nature in its progression.

               - Deb Mohan
 

Our Answer:

Children can be very receptive to learning new things, so take advantage of this teachable moment. Trash can pose a danger to wildlife in the area, trash is unsightly and degrades the overall experience in the park. Who wants to have a picnic in an area full of litter?

Take a moment to walk around the park and pick up as much of the trash as possible before your picnic. This opportunity lends itself to educating children about which items can be recycled and which items that are trash. After the trash is picked up, be sure to have everyone wash their hands or provide hand sanitizer, then enjoy a tasty meal in a beautiful and clean park.

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