Episode 57 - Ethical Outdoors

How to Be Responsible Outdoors: Leave No Trace

Leave no trace is a set of principles for enjoying the outdoors with minimal impact on the environment. There are seven principles of leave no trace:

  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare

  2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

  3. Dispose of Waste Properly

  4. Leave What You Find

  5. Minimize Campfire Impacts

  6. Respect Wildlife

  7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Plan your trip well. Take only what you need and be prepared for changing weather conditions.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

Stay on the trail when hiking wherever possible. If you are a campground, set up camp in the designated location.

When backcountry or wilderness camping, set up your tent 200 feet from the nearest waterway so your campsite doesn’t contaminate the water. If you see signs of degradation, pitch your tent somewhere else. And stay on durable surfaces like grass, sand, or dirt to avoid harming vegetation.

Dispose of Waste Properly

Don’t litter (and yes that includes fruit peels). When pooping in the woods, it is usually recommended to dig a cathole and bury your waste. Urine is usually fine.

Leave What You Find

Leave areas the way you found them. So, don’t dig trenches for tents or clear areas of rocks, twigs, and pinecones. Avoid damaging live trees and plants by, for example, picking flowers or hammering nails into trees. Leave natural objects and cultural artifacts where they are.

Minimize Campfire Impacts

Decide whether it is responsible to have a fire based on the fire danger for the time of year and location, the abundance of wood sources, your group’s skill level, and the potential damage to the area.

If you are building a fire, do it responsibly. Keep it within an existing fire ring in a campsite. Keep the fire small and burning only when you are using it. Allow the wood to burn completely to ash. Put out the fire with water.

Respect Wildlife

Minimize your impact on wildlife by observing from a distance, giving animals a wide berth, storing food securely, and keeping garbage and food scraps away from animals.  

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

 Don’t be a jerk: avoid excessive noise, keep pets under control, and leave gates as you found them.

Outdoor Gear

These are the “ten essentials” for outdoor adventures:

  1. Navigation: a topographic map and compass, as well as a GPS device, personal locator beacon, or satellite messenger

  2. Illumination: a headlamp or flashlight (and extra batteries)

  3. Sun protection: sunglasses, sun-protective clothing, and sunscreen

  4. First aid kit (here is a guide to help you create your own)

  5. Tools: a knife and repair kit

  6. Stuff to start a fire: matches, lighter, tinder and/or stove

  7. Emergency shelter:

  8. Food (more than you need)

  9. Water (more than you need)

  10. Clothes (more than you need)

You can find more information on essential items here.

Strategies for Ethical Outdoor Gear

Reduce consumption

If you do not camp very often, buying a lot of new gear to use once probably is not a good idea. Think about what you need: how often will you use it? Is there something that you already have that could accomplish the same objective?

Rent or borrow where you can

Do you have a friend who camps a lot? They probably have extra gear that they would be happy to lend.

For items that you will not use often and cannot borrow, think about renting. There are lots of options, so look for one near you. Here is a directory for some Canadian locations. You can rent everything you need for a camping trip in a pack at rent-a-tent Canada.

Buy second-hand where you can

A few outdoor companies will allow you to send in used items, which they will then often repair and resell on their websites.

REI Co-op allows you to trade in used gear for a gift card. You can also buy used REI gear through their Good and Used section.

North Face has a Renewed section of their website for used items. It’s mostly just clothing, but there are some backpacks. Their Remade collection is interesting – it’s a collection of repaired and upcycled products, so each item is unique.

MEC also hosts a Gear Swap page where you can post used gear to sell, or search listings to buy. MEC handles the transaction itself,You can get everything from climbing shoes and gear packs to bikes and tents. I even saw a canoe on there. 

Geartrade is like the Poshmark of outdoor gear. (NOTE: Geartrade.ca is different and although they do carry some used items, most of their inventory is new.)

You can also look for “Gear Loft” groups in your area on Facebook Marketplace. 

If you are going to buy new, look for ethical superstars and leading big companies

See our clothing research note for more tips on this.

Plan ahead for product end of use

See our clothing research note for more tips on this.

Accessibility and the Outdoors

The Sierra Club offers some suggestions for making the outdoors more inclusive:

  • Reduce barriers to entry (equipment, skills).

  • Use plain and precise language to state your message simply without simplifying it (e.g., “moderate” or “strenuous” instead of “for beginners”)

  • Outdoor clubs should diversify organizational leadership and codify inclusivity in organizational documents

  • Incorporate a social dimension in outings to promote diversity

This guide has some helpful advice for how to be an ally in the outdoors.

Kyla’s Notes

Here’s the sheep and goats video Kristen and Bianca insisted we include. It is truly something.

Bianca also recommended following us on Instagram! And also this cat.