Before you take that road trip for your next camping trip this summer, take into consideration the wilderness you will be setting foot in. This is the wilderness you need to help protect so that next summer (and the summer after that) you can visit and enjoy it again. If done irresponsibly, camping can lead to land erosion, pollution and species extinction.

Groceries and supplies -

• Consider organic, fair trade chocolate bars for your s’mores, and shade grown, fair trade, organic coffee for your morning wake-up call.
• Purchase fresh produce for your trip from a local organic farm along the way.
• Use biodegradable soap for dishwashing, bathing and laundry while camping.
• Bring a set of reusable dishes and flatware - ditch the disposables!
• Look for alternatives to chemical insect repellents.

Cooking - Use a stove for cooking instead of a campfire. Many campgrounds have fire bans due to worries about forest fires and firewood may be limited because of heavy recreation use. Light stoves are a great alternative for cooking - they work in almost any weather condition and don’t need firewood.

Campfires - If you really need to build a fire, build it in an existing fire ring so you don’t cause further damage to the site. Put out fires with water until the coals are col enough to touch.  Pouring sand over a fire won’t ensure that the fire is out completely. Only burn clean wood, and do not burn your garbage!

Campsites - Set up tents in areas that have already been used in order to limit damage to vegetation. Heavy trampling on plants and organisms causes barren areas that lead to soil erosion.

The beaten path - Although backwoods hiking trails have an impact on the land, they prevent hikers from creating routes that would further damage the landscape and possibly endangered areas.  Stay on the trail and avoid shortcuts.

Garbage - Set a goal for yourself and your friends/family ahead of time to bring as little pre-packaged items as possible.  Pack out all your trash and recycling when you leave and don’t take a pack full of natural objects such as fossils or wildflowers.  Leave them as you found them for others to discover and enjoy.

Choose a “stay-cation” this year - Camping in British Columbia or Alberta is not only a fun and inexpensive holiday option but staying close to home is an environmentally responsible choice.

And while you’re there….

“Glance at the sun.
See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.
Now, think.”

- Hildegard Von Bingen