No one appreciates the great outdoors quite like the people who like to live and play in it. Campers – whether they camp in tents, RVs, truck-campers, cabins or cottages – are the original eco-warriors. This month our nation celebrates you and the wilderness spaces you treasure with Keep America Beautiful month. And with Earth Day right around the corner on April 22, this is a prime time to focus on going green and staying green.
No one appreciates the great outdoors quite like the people who like to live and play in it. Campers – whether they camp in tents, RVs, truck-campers, cabins or cottages – are the original eco-warriors. This month our nation celebrates you and the wilderness spaces you treasure with Keep America Beautiful month. And with Earth Day right around the corner on April 22, this is a prime time to focus on going green and staying green.
The next best thing you can do is to practice Leave No Trace camping. This is as basic as it sounds – your goal is to leave the wilderness, or your campsite, exactly the way you found it, untouched by your presence. That means picking up all trash and taking it away with you or putting it in the RV park trash cans. It also means not trampling the underbrush, not creating any new trails, and not dumping food waste in the woods. Clearly the old romantic idea of carving initials into a tree’s bark has no place in the world of Leave No Trace camping! Your goal is to come and go, leaving a pristine wild area behind you. As long as you take away only photographs and memories, you’re doing a terrific job.
If you’d like to do something extra to pitch in on Earth Day, check out the activities in your local community. Many cities and towns host Earth Day fairs, where you can learn more about alternative energy, native plants, conservation, and wildlife. These fairs are a lot of fun and they’re a great place to learn new things. Are you ready to have the first solar-powered RV? Want to learn about bio fuels? An eco fair is the perfect place to do it.
You might also be able to join in hands-on Keep America Green activities like trash pick-ups, tree plantings, weeding out invasive species, or joining in a bird count. Your family could take the Earth Day challenge – see if you can be electricity-free for a full day. Unplug all your electronics and spend your time going out for hikes, playing board games, and reading by candlelight. It’s more fun than you’d expect!
This month is a perfect time for RV campers to think about ways to cut down on energy and gas use in their RVs. It isn’t just good for the planet; it’s also good for your pocketbook. You can replace your regular light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, check the weather-stripping on your doors and windows, and plan your drives to conserve gas, running your errands all in one trip instead of heading out on individual trips to the store, gas station, and shopping mall.
Did you know you can save gas by accelerating more slowly? A few minutes of browsing on the Internet will give you more fuel efficiency tips that’ll add up to money in your pocket.
Campers know the value of nature better than anyone. This month, wear that badge with pride as you lead the charge toward making America greener than ever. The planet will be more beautiful because of it!