News & Updates

Practicing Leave No Trace at Home

Mark Eller - March 2, 2021

In an outdoor setting – whether you’re exploring a trail, enjoying a park or splashing in a river – tapping into the Leave No Trace vibe comes easily. It’s almost an instinctive reaction to pick up a piece of trash spotted on the side of a trail, or to fish out a soda can floating in a stream.

But, when you’re stuck at home and maybe feeling a little less connected to nature than you’d like, what can be done to protect the natural values that Leave No Trace supports?

One impactful and relatively easy step is to learn the Dos and Don’ts of Effective Recycling. A foundational tenant of Leave No Trace is to deal with waste properly, and the measures you take at home are just as important as your actions in the wild.

Protecting water quality is another essential issue. Check out the Would You Drink It? educational activity — a great teaching technique to help a group of kids learn to appreciate the importance of clean water.

Another at-home topic with important implications for the natural world is responsible pet ownership. Did you know that dog poop contributes significantly to the spread of E. coli, Giardia, intestinal parasites and coliform bacteria? Health departments in some cities have concluded that dog waste ranks as the 3rd or 4th most significant causes of water pollution. Controlling pets and keeping them out of areas where they are not allowed is also an important concern for protecting wildlife.

In everyday life, even on special occasions like the 4th of July and Halloween, there are lots of ways to stay connected to Leave No Trace … we hope the tips here will keep you feeling inspired until you receive your next dose of nature.

 

 

 

Let’s protect and enjoy our natural world together

Get the latest in Leave No Trace eNews in your inbox so you can stay informed and involved.