Tent, RV or Camper: Make it a green outdoor experience

Written by greenandcleanmom on Sep - 04 | Comments | Related : Green Giveaways, Green Green Outdoors, Green Series, Green Solutions and Tips

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With there being many different camping options it seems like the choice really is personal. It does come down to a matter of preference and what conveniences you might want or can live without. I love the fresh air, sunshine, taking walks, enjoying the water, finding bugs with the kids, exploring and basically being outdoors. I just happen to not like to be without my indoor conveniences (bed and shower). I also happen to dislike sleeping on the ground and would prefer to shower in a private location. I did community bathrooms in college and don’t care for them too much. I know there are air mattresses and huge tents with different rooms and they’re nice. It just isn’t my preference to not have a toilet, sink and fridge. It’s a preference but all be damn it doesn’t make me less green. It just makes me more prissy but I can get dirty with the rest of them just give me a private shower afterwords!

So how can you go green regardless if you tow a camper behind you, drive an RV or pitch a tent? It is possible.

1. If you’re feeling super guilty that you filled your RV tank or that you are not so carbon friendly, buy a Terra Pass. Many people who fly often do this to offset their carbon emissions. Even internet hosting companies do this and call themselves green hosting, so why can’t you green RV it? Even if you camp with a tent you might want to buy a Terra Pass for other reasons.

2. Recycle, reuse and reduce. Regardless of where you might be everyone should be going green simply by recycling items, reusing items and by reducing the amount of stuff they buy. Use reusable bags when you go camping, limit waste by not using paper cups, forks and napkins. Don’t do wash everyday but reuse the towels and hang them out to dry or let the sun bleach them clean. If you’re leaving the camp ground and can’t use something ask another camper if they would like to use it, don’t just pitch it!

3. Use non-toxic biodegradable cleaners and personal care products. Don’t do your dishes with toxic dish soap and dump the water polluted with chemicals onto the ground. For a beginner at camping I recommend Camping for Dummies.

4. Use biodegradable earth friendly toilet paper and use it sparingly. Let me tell you, this is hard for me b/c I like soft toilet paper and I’m not so conservative when I use it. Bad me.

5. For the RV campers, while driving don’t use the generator for the televisions, computers and other electronics. It wastes energy. Instead encourage the children to read or play a game.

6. Regardless of your camping experience you have to drive to get there so drive at a slower speed to safe on gas which saves the environment. If you drive at a consistent rate of say 60 MPH on cruise you will get more miles per gallon. Always have a map and compass so you don’t waste time wandering because you get lost!

7. If you RV or pull a camper, you’re on the road but that does not mean fast food. Eat healthy and if you can, buy local. Go to farm markets and eat fresh. That’s greening your eating for sure! Become acquainted with berries and plants you can eat to make the most out of your experience.

8. Use veggie oil for fuel if you’re going with an RV for your camping experience! Check out this neat story about a family living in a RV and the personal touch they’ve given it and how they’re greening the experience. It’s an inspiring story.

9. Always leave nature as you found it. Regardless of where you go, what you use for camping…respect nature. Don’t use trees to tie your clothes line on and hurt the bark.

10. Take bikes with you and bike to the store or around the new city or town you are visiting. If you’re tenting, RVing or pulling along a camper you can utilize this method of transportation and enjoy some good old fashion exercise that doesn’t pollute.

11. If you RV or use a camper you might consider solar panels. These are easy to install, there are kits available and it will help you consume less energy from the plug!

12. Take advantage of free camp grounds and really rough it with maybe no generator or electricity if you use an camper or RV! Either way you will save some green and really get close to nature!

What are your green camping tips and suggestions? Green and Clean Mom will be giving the book, Cooking in a Can to only lucky G&CM reader. Just leave me a comment with your tip. For an extra entry give this post a stumble or blog about it and leave me a comment on what you’ve done. I will randomly pick one winner on Wednesday, September 10, 2008. Be sure you’ve visited the official G&CM rules.

Giveaway Closed! Winner randomly drawn from Random.org

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2008-09-12 01:57:41 UTC

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For some other great camping sources be sure to visit Heidi over at Outdoor Baby Guide or EnviroZine.

Share and Enjoy:

Heather C

Take a mesh bag with you for your dishes...especially if you'll be camping near a running stream. It's easy to clean up if you use the bag to dip repeatedly in the stream. No soap!

kathy pease

bring plastic reusable plates instead of paper

Lily Kwan

Take a bag with you when you go camping so you don't leave litter behind when you leave.

Donna Kozar

Remember to recycle your cans.

janet

Cleaning up is very important.pick up trash as u go along. Fire should not be left unattended.

Betty King

Take your own wood for your campfire. When we cut brush and if there is a dead tree that needs taken out we always cut it into firewood for when we go camping. Also, make it a habit to take a large cantainer for food scraps that has a secure lid, we use one of those big Popcorn tins everyone seems to get us at Christmas. This keep the animals and ants at bay. My husband usually rigs it up where we can hang it high in a tree. Clean your campsite better than when you found it before you leave.

Teresa Hoyt

We always bring biodegradable toilet paper when camping "rustic". Thanks!

Susan C

When we camped or went to any outdoor area our rule was always to leave it cleaner than when we came. We always cleaned the surrounding area at a park or camping spot before the kids played. This helps reduce waste, but is also a safety issue because often others leave broken glass or other dangers behind. My kids are grown, but they still practice this rule and are passing it on to their children.

CHERYL A FRANCISCO

If the campground does not have recycling bins (which most do now), we haul everything that can be recycled either to the nearest facility or right back home with us.
cherylfrancisco@hotmail.com

kathy pease

camp in your state and save gas :)

Michelle

Not sure if you would consider this "green" or not, but... Even if it is not your trash, pick it up. My family always leaves any area better than when we arrived. I also don't let my kids bring home "gifts" If it came from the earth, it stays.

judy brittle

The best thing to do is not bring along any paper plates,napkins,disposable spoons and forks but invest in some that you can re-use. Take along your recycle bin to help clean up your site or the surrounding campgrouned.

Buddy Garrett

Respect the environment and animals. Collect trash.

Vicki B.

We take along our solar radios when we go camping and listen to music by using the sun's energy. They also have emergency lights and flashlights attached, so we're not using batteries that will end up in the landfill either!

Jeanne

Stick to trails and previously used camp sites so as not to trample and destroy the surrounding plants.

Izzie

Green tip: Leave a campsite nicer than when you arrived.

Alecia Gibson

Take a trash bag with you when you go hiking and pick up trash you see along the trails.

Ed Nemmers

Always leave somewhere in a better condition than when you arrived.

Jessica

Take home recycles in a trash bag rather than throwing everything out. Most people throw away their trash at campsites, but few go through the trouble of making sure everything that can be recycled gets there.

Kasey P

We don't do traditional camping, but we do take our boat out for the weekend or longer if we've got some vacation time. I always bring re-usable plasticware and then wash it while we are out there so we don't have to go through a bunch of paper plates and cups then end up with a ton of garbage to bring back with us.

Kam A

Camp in a tent and be sure to leave the campsite cleaner than it was when you arrived!

Lori

We try to cook on the fire as much as possible instead of using the propane grill. We figure the fire is going anyways, might as well use it, plus the kids enjoy helping.

Loris last blog post..Green Gigs for Sept. 8, 2008

Nanette

We tent camp and make sure we leave no litter behind.

Paula S.

Be aware of your surroundings. Teach your children to love nature young and they will want to take care of it later.

Patricia Hill

It is essential that You leave no trace of your coming there behind. Take all garbage away and make sure your fire is out.

Erma

We always bring recycling bins so that everyone will recycle.

Erica G

Take only pictures, leave only footprints (not of the carbon kind)

Cheri Lewthwaite

Best camp I went to they had three tubs of water out all day (not changed after each meal) for washing up at a camp of 24 people. First tub was just rinse water, second had washing liquid and scrubbies, third was rinse water with tea tree oil.

K. Cleaver

We do a lot of camping during the year. I pack biodegradable dish washing liquid. We also pick up trash left by others that were there before.

Sharon Seneker

We like to camp when we can. That means I must be ready to go even when not able to go to town for provisions. I keep a large grocery bag full of nonperishable foods ready to go at a minutes notice! Happy camping!

Felicia L.

Listen to the local radio stations, if it is to dry to start fires, listen to them, make sure you respect your surroundings.

toasters

Don't use a bunch of paper plates and plastic forks; take easy-to-clean dinnerware and biodegradeable, non-toxic liquid dishsoap.

Patricia Adams

Please respect nature--- take it home with you as pictures

Sharon Jones

To clean....take white vinegar and baking soda...safe and works wonders...

Sharon Joness last blog post..High School, Middle School-First Day is Always Emotional

Tricia Andrews

Take a mesh bag with you so you can put all your dish rags, cloth napkins, towels, sponges, ect in. This will help them air dry a bit so you don't have to put them in your car wet to take home and wash. No need for paper towels and paper napkins!

Emily Cole

We love camping in our family! We like to bring along a double-layered ziplock bag to put our compostable materials like food scraps, and paper towels in and take them home to our compost pile! That way we don't have to leave any of that type of material in the woods or sitting in a trash can at a campsite.

Emily Coles last blog post..Chicken Coops - they can be decorative too!

Tonya Froemel

Use one of those flashlights that charges when you shake it.

Lena Gibbs

We cook in a cast-iron skillet which you clean with rock-salt or pebbles instead of soap, so soap doesn't end up in the ground water.

Green Me

Part of the leave no trace camping ethic also includes packing out your personal waste, which sounds horrific, but if you are not camping in an area with toilets, you really should pack EVERYTHING out -- this includes your poo. If you don't pack it out, at the least you should make sure that your are at least a 200 feet from a trail and or water source, dig an 8 inch hole and pack out your TP ( I use a plastic bag the same way one picks up dog doo).

In addition it is a good idea to bring your own firewood (versus scavenging for wood) and to use an existing or barren campsite. Never trample living vegetation to get to or make your campsite.

Another really important one if you are washing dishes is to use biodegradable dish soap and as little as you can get away with. Strain your dish water for food scraps and scatter the water, while adding the scraps to your take-away waste.

P.s. You don't need to enter me in the contest -- I don't need any more books!

Green Mes last blog post..Reusable Camping Tin to the Rescue!

Deborah R

Invest in camping dishware and use (and reuse) it, instead of making more trash with plastic/paper cups, plates, utensils, etc.

M.A.

Always leave your campsite CLEANER than when you came!

Michelle

Save water with a family shower- If you use public showers, shower all the kids, and you at once to save water and make the shower available for other campers. If you shower in the field use a solar heated water bag shower and once again, share.

Kathy Wells

We tent camp and I freeze meals in "boiling bags" before we go. I don't have to have the freshest water to cook. Clean up is a breeze.

TONI SULLIVAN

MAKE SURE YOUR FIRE IS OUT AND POCK UP YOUR GARBAGE

Diane

Save your dryer lint and place in a cardboard egg the has each egg portion separated to use as fire starters for you campfire.

Desmond

Always pack out your trash

Shannon

Pack everything out that you take with you.

geekbearinggifts

As a Girl Scout I was taught to always leave the campsite better than we found it--if someone else left litter, pick it up and take care of it with your own. Not green, per se, but a real kindness which is in the same spirit: One of our leader's had us clean out the fire pit, and build a ready-to-light fire for the next campers to choose the same spot.

If you are really roughing it in true wilderness, learn how to build a proper slit trench latrine, and cover your waste with sand or dirt after each use.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-and-Use-a-Slit-Tren...

sandy

well as far as cleaning up- leave it as you came and if someone else did not clean up clean up for them...

christopher h

you can still recycle, even at a campsite

margaret herrin

Take only memories, leave only footsteps.

Heidi Ahrens

When going camping with children make sure you have a safe place to feed your toddlers. Many campgrounds have concrete tables that are not child friendly. A sturdy backpaking backpack can do the trick or a camp chair if your child will stay in it. A well fed child is a happy child.

http://www.outdoorbaby.net

Heidi Ahrenss last blog post..Cold weather camping