Green Camping

August in Austin doesn’t usually bring to mind campfires and spending the night out of doors away from our air conditioning. Unless, like me, you’re envisioning the cooler temperatures that are to come and you can’t wait to get out your gear. I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with nature and in that vein, I’m planning on making my trips as green as possible. I’ve gathered some eco-friendly tips and product ideas that will help me keep nature, well, natural.

This spring, I purchased a great little USB device charger made by Solio. It’s solar! The best part is that I can use it at home as well to cut down on electricity consumption.

I’ve also discovered another product that is on my wish list for this fall. The BioLite campstove runs on twigs that you gather while you hike. It only takes 1.6oz. of wood to boil a liter of water. As an added bonus, it converts the heat into energy, recharging it’s own fan and giving your USB devices a boost as well!

 

TIPS FOR GREENING YOUR CAMPSITE:

• Bring a safe soap like Dr. Bronner’s to wash yourself and your dishes.
• Don’t shower every day. You’re camping! Use a little more deodorant and conserve water.
• Reduce the amount of trash you produce by buying bulk foods and using containers from your home.
• Bring a reusable shopping bag in which you can put recycle items just in case the campground doesn’t have a recycling system.
• Spend a little extra on hand-crank items like lights and radios to reduce battery usage. If you can’t do that, try to replace your batteries with rechargeable versions as you run out.
• Pick up any trash you see, even if it isn’t yours!
• Don’t burn trash in your campfire, it pollutes the air.

Now go forth and be Happy (Green) Campers!