But I do spend a fair share of my time outside on a trail, riding my bike, puddle jumping, peeking at flowers, observing wildlife, passionate about urban exploration, county parks and in love with America's state and national park units.
Some of my best memories were made hiking, camping or just being outside.
I love camping and I wish I could do it all the time.
As an outdoor enthusiast, you would think I have all the gear to enjoy my time outside, but I don't.
I'm a minimalist at heart and I'm very selective with what I bring with me.
For me, it's more practical to have less gear because stuff can hinder the mobility required to be active and have fun in nature.
From a sustainability perspective and to enjoy nature in a non-wasteful manner, is also less about the gear and more about getting familiar with environmental issues and a mindset shift to live my values in all areas of my life, including hiking and camping.
For me, it's more practical to have less gear because stuff can hinder the mobility required to be active and have fun in nature.
From a sustainability perspective and to enjoy nature in a non-wasteful manner, is also less about the gear and more about getting familiar with environmental issues and a mindset shift to live my values in all areas of my life, including hiking and camping.
Of course that is not what's advertised when I look for tips to go hiking and camping. Those tips are usually all about the gear.
I like seeing all the different types of gear.
Some of it is very fun and interesting, but I only need what's useful for me.
So let me share my tips and habits.
Z E R O W A S T E O N T H E G O H A B I T S
If I'm walking or biking around town, I don't need a thing.
The same is true for short trips in the car.
I'm dressed weather appropriately and there is a good chance I wear sunscreen.
There is no need for me to bring a phone, a drink or a snack. Chatting to people, eating and drinking can be handled before and afterwards.
Unless I go out and bring my reusable cup with the intention of grabbing a drink or ice cream, there is no need for me to purchase any to-go-snacks or drinks. For me, to-go-food is a luxury treat for which I don't need to abandon my zero waste intentions on a whim. I can eat or drink when I get back home. (Or return better prepared another time.)
On route to and from work: I bring water.
On shopping trips: I bring water in a reusable bottle.
So let me share my tips and habits.
Z E R O W A S T E O N T H E G O H A B I T S
If I'm walking or biking around town, I don't need a thing.
The same is true for short trips in the car.
I'm dressed weather appropriately and there is a good chance I wear sunscreen.
There is no need for me to bring a phone, a drink or a snack. Chatting to people, eating and drinking can be handled before and afterwards.
Unless I go out and bring my reusable cup with the intention of grabbing a drink or ice cream, there is no need for me to purchase any to-go-snacks or drinks. For me, to-go-food is a luxury treat for which I don't need to abandon my zero waste intentions on a whim. I can eat or drink when I get back home. (Or return better prepared another time.)
On route to and from work: I bring water.
On shopping trips: I bring water in a reusable bottle.
(Eating before shopping is also a good idea.)
7 Z E R O W A S T E H I K I N G H A B I T S
- GEAR
When I head out on a hike I'm dressed comfortably and weather appropriate. I wear sunscreen and when needed insect repellant. I don't carry them with me on the hike, but apply protection beforehand.
I carry a reusable water bottle and sometimes an apple.
I rarely carry a bag or backpack unless I anticipate needing to take off my jacket or if its a longer social hike for which I like to pack an additional snack to share.
- LEAVE NO TRACE
Littering is a big concern when walking in nature or hiking, because a lot of to-go items come in disposable packaging. If I bring something with me into nature, I take it back home to throw away or recycle.
Trash left behind in the nature is harmful to wildlife, pollutes soil and waterways, and creates an undesirable esthetic. It is important use only well serviced, critter proof public trash receptacles at trailheads or parking areas. If there isn't an option to separate trash from recyclables, the cans are overflowing, weather conditions or animals can disperse trash from the bins, then its best to dispose of trash properly at home.
For an overview about leave no trace principles, click here.
For detailed information from Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, click here.
- FOOD WASTE
The pack it in - pack it out principle also applies to food waste. I sometimes snack on an apple when hiking. I better be prepared to store the weeping apple core in my bag (I usually carry a small jar for food scraps) because the idea is that nothing should be added to the environment in terms of waste that was not already there. I'm not hiking an apple orchard from which I got the apple, so I have no business dropping it on the trail, soiling the nature experience for others, attracting pests and disturbing the environment with a foreign to it objects.
- DOGGY DOO
Leave No Trace principles also apply to dogs and their droppings. Dog poop on hiking trails, abandoned poop bags in nature or poop bags spilling from public trash bins at the trailhead are a big concern. Please pick up after your pet! Look for solutions, such as carriers that would make it less gross to carry poop bags off the trail. For information regarding leave no trace principles for dogs, click here.
- RESPECT TRAIL RULES
And while I'm on the topic of discussing rules, the posted rules of the trail should be followed. This way the trail can be enjoyed by all without it being ruined for nature, animals or people. Some areas have specific rules regarding the disposal of litter, special notices about the trail or conditions (stay on the trail - don't trample, extreme heat warning, flooding concerns etc.), don't bring pets when they are not allowed (this is usually the case if the trail isn't paved at a national park, or when the area is a bird or wildlife refuge or watershed).
14 Z E R O W A S T E C A M P I N G H A B I T S
- ZERO WASTE IMAGINATION
For me, in camping, the hiking habits apply. I try to avoid camping specific convenience items and instead try to find solution by imagining how someone would have managed my situation back in the day before refrigeration and before the age of plastic. For the most part, I don't go wild online searching for turn of the century solutions, but I imagine my great-grandmother and how she might have done it.
How did she wash? What clothes would she pack? What would she cook on her campfire?
I'm just using my imagination to come up with simple solutions to any situation. It's a way for me to set aside everything that's advertised to me, avoid greenwashing and come up with a solution that is pretty basic. As far as I know, my two great-grandmothers that I got to know as a child, were not outdoor enthusiasts and I have not heard of a camping adventure they've been on. But that does not stop me from imagining Oma Martha and/or Oma Gisela around a campfire. 😃
- TOILETRIES
Pack zero waste toiletries from home instead of travel size minis. This way camping personal care items can be plastic-free and reusable.
- BIODEGRADABLE SOAP
Use biodegradable soap for personal care and for cleaning. Most campground have a much more primitive water treatment system (if at all), so it is important to use soap that is safe for the environment and does not pollute water sources.
- DISHWASHING
To avoid disposable paper plates and silverware, a mindset shift is necessary. Washing dishes as you normally would is a messy business and requires space and lots of water. Since both are scarce or more cumbersome to find while camping, just switching to regular (preferably non-breakable dish ware), solves only part of the issue. Dishes are no longer thrown out, but the runoff water with food bits from the dishes is a different type of waste that is very apparent in a campground. Spilled outside it can attract pests or wildlife such as bears or a gang of rowdy raccoons.
Also, overly messy dishes are nightmare mess at a communal dishwashing station and food bits or grease isn't something you want to wash through your rv wastewater tank.
Lots of dirty dishes and cookware is a pain to clean, so it's best to learn habits to make less dishes and to have less leftovers and food bits on the plates. Cook and plate only what you intend to eat and clear the plate of food.
Have fewer dishes and utensils per person to encourage immediate cleaning after use.
- CLOTH INSTEAD OF PAPER
Instead of paper towels, I recommend cotton rags and a spray bottle with water or a vinegar solution. This will work just as well to mop up spills.
Instead of a disposable table cloth and paper napkins, opt for washable and therefore reusable cloth alternatives.
- EAT MORE WHOLE FOODS
Avoid bringing food on the camping trip with unnecessary disposable packaging. Whole foods that don't require refrigeration and dry good are useful as snacks or for cooking a proper meal around a camp fire. In order to avoid food waste, I recommend meal planning. For example, realistically plan out the type of snacks you like to eat and which meals you like to make on your trip. Snack-y foods are marketed to hikers and campers, but if you don't have lots of snacks normally, why start eating like this now. Think, what and how many meals do I normally eat in a day and how could I keep up that routine when camping.
For example, I normally don't eat processed food because it does not align with my values and because processed food usually contains onion and garlic that will give me an allergic reaction. For those reasons you won't find me grilling vegan hot dogs or eating a ready meal from a can. I stick to the whole foods diet I'm used to so I can live my values and don't have to suffer the consequences of switching up my diet radically.
- CRITTER PROOF FOOD STORAGE
- TRASH RECEPTICALS
While the goal and the idea would be to create as little waste as possible, having critter proof containers for trash and recycling is essential to responsible store and later dispose of the waste that is created.
- CAMPING WASTEFULLY
Having convenient access to a campground dumpster, recycling or even composting should not encourage the use of single use items. For many camping means connivence meals and eating and drinking in celebration. Ironically, this way people could venture out to enjoy nature and simultaneously produce twice as much trash as they would at home.
- BEVERAGE CANS + BOTTLES
One of the main offenders that creates a heap of recycling are beverage containers. Camping is a joyous occasion celebrated with special drinks that usually come in throwaway packaging. Bottles and cans are the number one trash left by hikers and campers in nature and they are what fills the recycling bins in campgrounds. It's a non-issue for me as I like warm or room temperature beverages, I don't drink soda regularly and don't drink alcohol at all, but for those that like celebrating with a drink, beverage trash is a tough subject to work out.
Please be sure to recycle all beverage containers responsible.
Consider other options for drinks such as teas, sharing a growler of beer from a local brewery instead of a 6 pack, etc
- CAMP COMPOST
Have an airtight container for food scraps, but cook in such a way that uses the whole vegetable so that compost scraps will be minimal. I usually use a mason jar with a lid as a compost bin to contain the mess and smell until I have the opportunity of proper disposal (usually at home).
Please don't bury food waste as this can attract unwanted or even dangerous animals to your campsite. Once they get a free meal, they will be back. Many of these animals that become used to eating human food have to be put down as they are too close to humans and pose a threat.
- CAMPFIRE ETIQUETTE
Burning waste and single use items is NOT an acceptable method of disposal. Burning trash - even paper products - releases dangerous pollutants into the air and some materials don't burn completely.
Napkins and other paper products can float as hazardous cinders and should therefore not be considered as fire fodder.
Food burned in the campfire does not prevent animals from trying to root it out and they might become habituated to the campsite as a food source. In the worst case, animals looking for human food could be killed because they became a threat to people camping.
- REUSABLES
Reusables, such as water bottles, coffee cups, a thermos, lunch boxes, sporks, cloth napkins, and sandwich bags are great and clever little zero waste helpers, but I recommend restraint. Think what it is that you really need and don't bother with the rest. If you don't use it it's just clutter, resources wasted and an extra dish to clean.
On road trips and when camping I bring the following:
My husbands setup is even simpler:
- SAFE STORAGE + COOKING VESSELS
And in regards to gear, I recommend favoring durable, non-toxic cooking vessels and storage containers. A lot of waste can be eliminated when we don't use unhealthy, throwaway cooking vessels such as aluminum foil and tins, plastic Tupperware, Ziploc bags, saran wrap and other camping ready meals from a bag or can. Many products marketed to campers are single use. For cooking and storage vessels I recommend favoring items that can be with you for life. A camping cooking pot that could potentially last you for life instead of a non-stick pan that needs to be replaced when its toxic coating is tore up with scratches. Glass, stainless, or enameled bowls and containers instead of plastic or melamine ones that are destined to be landfill waste when they're broken, scratched or stained orange from acidic food. Both plastic and melamine dishes can leach chemical compounds into food. These materials are however very much advertised to campers because they don't break and would be better for outdoor activity or kids, sticking into a microwave (can't do that with stainless) etc, completely ignoring toxicity concerns. I think it is counterintuitive to enjoy nature while cooking and dining from more toxic materials.
From a zero waste perspective, I have found that all those vessels, single use or a-bit-longer-use such as plastic and melamine plates, cups that need to be repurchased again and again can be replaced with a few carefully chosen, non-toxic forever plates, cups, cooking and storage items.
I have the same principle for my cooking and storage vessels in my home and I don't see why I should handle cooking differently when I'm camping.
Enjoy the outdoors!
♡ Nina
7 Z E R O W A S T E H I K I N G H A B I T S
- GEAR
When I head out on a hike I'm dressed comfortably and weather appropriate. I wear sunscreen and when needed insect repellant. I don't carry them with me on the hike, but apply protection beforehand.
I carry a reusable water bottle and sometimes an apple.
I rarely carry a bag or backpack unless I anticipate needing to take off my jacket or if its a longer social hike for which I like to pack an additional snack to share.
- LEAVE NO TRACE
Littering is a big concern when walking in nature or hiking, because a lot of to-go items come in disposable packaging. If I bring something with me into nature, I take it back home to throw away or recycle.
Trash left behind in the nature is harmful to wildlife, pollutes soil and waterways, and creates an undesirable esthetic. It is important use only well serviced, critter proof public trash receptacles at trailheads or parking areas. If there isn't an option to separate trash from recyclables, the cans are overflowing, weather conditions or animals can disperse trash from the bins, then its best to dispose of trash properly at home.
For an overview about leave no trace principles, click here.
For detailed information from Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, click here.
| leave it beautiful ♡ |
- FOOD WASTE
The pack it in - pack it out principle also applies to food waste. I sometimes snack on an apple when hiking. I better be prepared to store the weeping apple core in my bag (I usually carry a small jar for food scraps) because the idea is that nothing should be added to the environment in terms of waste that was not already there. I'm not hiking an apple orchard from which I got the apple, so I have no business dropping it on the trail, soiling the nature experience for others, attracting pests and disturbing the environment with a foreign to it objects.
- DOGGY DOO
Leave No Trace principles also apply to dogs and their droppings. Dog poop on hiking trails, abandoned poop bags in nature or poop bags spilling from public trash bins at the trailhead are a big concern. Please pick up after your pet! Look for solutions, such as carriers that would make it less gross to carry poop bags off the trail. For information regarding leave no trace principles for dogs, click here.
- RESPECT TRAIL RULES
And while I'm on the topic of discussing rules, the posted rules of the trail should be followed. This way the trail can be enjoyed by all without it being ruined for nature, animals or people. Some areas have specific rules regarding the disposal of litter, special notices about the trail or conditions (stay on the trail - don't trample, extreme heat warning, flooding concerns etc.), don't bring pets when they are not allowed (this is usually the case if the trail isn't paved at a national park, or when the area is a bird or wildlife refuge or watershed).
14 Z E R O W A S T E C A M P I N G H A B I T S
“Sadly, camping has changed. Not so long ago, campground sinks would attract an after-dinner rush of people lining up to wash dishes. I remember stressing out about beating everyone else to the washbasin. Today, however, throwaway dinnerware and water containers have replaced the reusable kind; overflowing waste bins have replaced the conversations at the sink. Camping is a fantastic activity to enjoy the environment, but camping wastefully is disrespectful, counterintuitive, and contradictory. It disregards the importance of nature, our graceful host” (243).
~ Bea Johnson
Zero Waste Home
- ZERO WASTE IMAGINATION
For me, in camping, the hiking habits apply. I try to avoid camping specific convenience items and instead try to find solution by imagining how someone would have managed my situation back in the day before refrigeration and before the age of plastic. For the most part, I don't go wild online searching for turn of the century solutions, but I imagine my great-grandmother and how she might have done it.
How did she wash? What clothes would she pack? What would she cook on her campfire?
I'm just using my imagination to come up with simple solutions to any situation. It's a way for me to set aside everything that's advertised to me, avoid greenwashing and come up with a solution that is pretty basic. As far as I know, my two great-grandmothers that I got to know as a child, were not outdoor enthusiasts and I have not heard of a camping adventure they've been on. But that does not stop me from imagining Oma Martha and/or Oma Gisela around a campfire. 😃
- TOILETRIES
Pack zero waste toiletries from home instead of travel size minis. This way camping personal care items can be plastic-free and reusable.
- BIODEGRADABLE SOAP
Use biodegradable soap for personal care and for cleaning. Most campground have a much more primitive water treatment system (if at all), so it is important to use soap that is safe for the environment and does not pollute water sources.
- DISHWASHING
To avoid disposable paper plates and silverware, a mindset shift is necessary. Washing dishes as you normally would is a messy business and requires space and lots of water. Since both are scarce or more cumbersome to find while camping, just switching to regular (preferably non-breakable dish ware), solves only part of the issue. Dishes are no longer thrown out, but the runoff water with food bits from the dishes is a different type of waste that is very apparent in a campground. Spilled outside it can attract pests or wildlife such as bears or a gang of rowdy raccoons.
Also, overly messy dishes are nightmare mess at a communal dishwashing station and food bits or grease isn't something you want to wash through your rv wastewater tank.
Lots of dirty dishes and cookware is a pain to clean, so it's best to learn habits to make less dishes and to have less leftovers and food bits on the plates. Cook and plate only what you intend to eat and clear the plate of food.
Have fewer dishes and utensils per person to encourage immediate cleaning after use.
- CLOTH INSTEAD OF PAPER
Instead of paper towels, I recommend cotton rags and a spray bottle with water or a vinegar solution. This will work just as well to mop up spills.
Instead of a disposable table cloth and paper napkins, opt for washable and therefore reusable cloth alternatives.
- EAT MORE WHOLE FOODS
Avoid bringing food on the camping trip with unnecessary disposable packaging. Whole foods that don't require refrigeration and dry good are useful as snacks or for cooking a proper meal around a camp fire. In order to avoid food waste, I recommend meal planning. For example, realistically plan out the type of snacks you like to eat and which meals you like to make on your trip. Snack-y foods are marketed to hikers and campers, but if you don't have lots of snacks normally, why start eating like this now. Think, what and how many meals do I normally eat in a day and how could I keep up that routine when camping.
For example, I normally don't eat processed food because it does not align with my values and because processed food usually contains onion and garlic that will give me an allergic reaction. For those reasons you won't find me grilling vegan hot dogs or eating a ready meal from a can. I stick to the whole foods diet I'm used to so I can live my values and don't have to suffer the consequences of switching up my diet radically.
- CRITTER PROOF FOOD STORAGE
Don't leave food out and store it critter proof containers and in such a way that animals can't get to it. Protect your food from flies and rodents to larger animals such as raccoons and bears. Have close and secure storage and follow area specific food storage instructions.
- TRASH RECEPTICALS
While the goal and the idea would be to create as little waste as possible, having critter proof containers for trash and recycling is essential to responsible store and later dispose of the waste that is created.
- CAMPING WASTEFULLY
Having convenient access to a campground dumpster, recycling or even composting should not encourage the use of single use items. For many camping means connivence meals and eating and drinking in celebration. Ironically, this way people could venture out to enjoy nature and simultaneously produce twice as much trash as they would at home.
- BEVERAGE CANS + BOTTLES
One of the main offenders that creates a heap of recycling are beverage containers. Camping is a joyous occasion celebrated with special drinks that usually come in throwaway packaging. Bottles and cans are the number one trash left by hikers and campers in nature and they are what fills the recycling bins in campgrounds. It's a non-issue for me as I like warm or room temperature beverages, I don't drink soda regularly and don't drink alcohol at all, but for those that like celebrating with a drink, beverage trash is a tough subject to work out.
Please be sure to recycle all beverage containers responsible.
Consider other options for drinks such as teas, sharing a growler of beer from a local brewery instead of a 6 pack, etc
- CAMP COMPOST
Have an airtight container for food scraps, but cook in such a way that uses the whole vegetable so that compost scraps will be minimal. I usually use a mason jar with a lid as a compost bin to contain the mess and smell until I have the opportunity of proper disposal (usually at home).
Please don't bury food waste as this can attract unwanted or even dangerous animals to your campsite. Once they get a free meal, they will be back. Many of these animals that become used to eating human food have to be put down as they are too close to humans and pose a threat.
- CAMPFIRE ETIQUETTE
Burning waste and single use items is NOT an acceptable method of disposal. Burning trash - even paper products - releases dangerous pollutants into the air and some materials don't burn completely.
Napkins and other paper products can float as hazardous cinders and should therefore not be considered as fire fodder.
Food burned in the campfire does not prevent animals from trying to root it out and they might become habituated to the campsite as a food source. In the worst case, animals looking for human food could be killed because they became a threat to people camping.
- REUSABLES
Reusables, such as water bottles, coffee cups, a thermos, lunch boxes, sporks, cloth napkins, and sandwich bags are great and clever little zero waste helpers, but I recommend restraint. Think what it is that you really need and don't bother with the rest. If you don't use it it's just clutter, resources wasted and an extra dish to clean.
On road trips and when camping I bring the following:
- a tiny reusable coffee cup (it's all I need and it fits in most of my coat pockets)
- a glass water bottle with a silicone sleeve (I prefer glass over stainless)
- a spork for stirring my coffee / eating oatmeal
- 2 cloth handkerchiefs (that could be used as a napkin or if my allergies get to me)
- a small thermos cup (for eating oatmeal, soup etc)
- 1 enamel plate and 1 enamel bowl
My husbands setup is even simpler:
- a medium size stainless reusable coffee cup
- a stainless or glass water bottle
- a cloth sandwich bag
- 1 enamel plate and 1 enamel bowl
- a spork (seldom used)
- SAFE STORAGE + COOKING VESSELS
And in regards to gear, I recommend favoring durable, non-toxic cooking vessels and storage containers. A lot of waste can be eliminated when we don't use unhealthy, throwaway cooking vessels such as aluminum foil and tins, plastic Tupperware, Ziploc bags, saran wrap and other camping ready meals from a bag or can. Many products marketed to campers are single use. For cooking and storage vessels I recommend favoring items that can be with you for life. A camping cooking pot that could potentially last you for life instead of a non-stick pan that needs to be replaced when its toxic coating is tore up with scratches. Glass, stainless, or enameled bowls and containers instead of plastic or melamine ones that are destined to be landfill waste when they're broken, scratched or stained orange from acidic food. Both plastic and melamine dishes can leach chemical compounds into food. These materials are however very much advertised to campers because they don't break and would be better for outdoor activity or kids, sticking into a microwave (can't do that with stainless) etc, completely ignoring toxicity concerns. I think it is counterintuitive to enjoy nature while cooking and dining from more toxic materials.
From a zero waste perspective, I have found that all those vessels, single use or a-bit-longer-use such as plastic and melamine plates, cups that need to be repurchased again and again can be replaced with a few carefully chosen, non-toxic forever plates, cups, cooking and storage items.
I have the same principle for my cooking and storage vessels in my home and I don't see why I should handle cooking differently when I'm camping.
Enjoy the outdoors!
♡ Nina
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