Since there is always a chance to learn something new about environmental conservation practices regardless of how many times you have read about such topic, below we share some particular eco-friendly tips you may carry out while engaging in open-air activities. Do not take these for granted as their positive impact may be great for the ecosystem.

Some Eco-Conscious Practices Suitable for the Outdoors Journey:

1) Do Not Leave Small Plastics on Beaches

Besides plastic bags, small plastics may easily end up in a body of water and harm a beach’s ecosystem. For instance, runoff water may drag straws and bottle caps towards the ocean or sea. Straws floating on ocean waters could get stuck on a turtle's nose. Plastic bottle caps may easily be confused as food by seabirds; and thus, affect their digestive system if eaten by these. Considering the above and that small plastic materials may not be noticed during beach cleanups, it is important to avoid leaving such as garbage on beaches’ natural surroundings.

2) Place Cigarette Butts in Trash Cans

Cigarette butts have filters made from plastic fiber named cellulose acetate. When a cigarette butt is thrown on places other than a garbage bin, it may harm the environment. For example, cigarette filters can break down into microplastics, resulting in plastic pollution. In addition, improper cigarette butt disposal may cause chemical pollution. If for any reason cigarette butts end up in water, they can be an environmental hazard as they release nicotine and chemicals in water. So be eco-conscious and use trash cans for cigarette butt’s disposal. If there are no garbage bins available, put cigarettes butts in your purse, backpack, or bag until you can adequately get rid of these.

3) Walk on Designated Trails or Durable Surfaces when Exploring Nature

Designated trails in natural areas are designed considering many factors. For instance, inclination and water runoffs are taken into consideration to prevent erosion and sedimentation. Also, trail design may consider the ecosystem to help avoid harming vulnerable flora or fauna species. Furthermore, many times trails are made of enduring materials that ease their maintenance and cause less impact to natural surroundings. Therefore, walking on eco-friendly designated trails is a good practice.

In general, off-trail hiking is not recommendable. However, if there is a reasonable need to walk on surfaces other than designated trails, choose durable surfaces such as rock, sand or gravel for hiking purposes to minimize environmental impact.

4) Avoid Being Noisy while Visiting Fauna’s Habitat

Loud music or other noises in natural areas may scare away nearby animals or frighten them, affecting their capability to avoid predators, communicate, find food or their mate, reproduce, or carry out other typical behaviors. So do your best to keep a low volume while communicating with friends or family or listening to music in places where animals live.

5) Minimize Light’s Impact on Wildlife

Inappropriate or excessive use of light can impact wildlife’s behavior. So it is recommendable to avoid causing light pollution while exploring the outdoors at night (e.g.: camping and hiking) or dark habitats such as a cave. You may limit the use of light whenever possible, and if it were necessary for safety reasons, illuminate the area pointing the lightning equipment downwards, preferably using particular lights that have less impact on the ecosystem.

Remember to try do your best always for the benefit of the environment while being a guest in natural areas. Your effort along with others’ may make the difference regardless of how much time you spent with nature.

Sources:

(1)https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/plastics-in-the-ocean,

(2)https://www.earthday.org/tiny-but-deadly-cigarette-butts-are-the-most-commonly-polluted-plastic,

(3)https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/travel-camp-on-durable-surfaces,

(4)https://www.wildlifehc.org/4-ways-that-noise-pollution-can-impact-wildlife-and-4-ways-to-help

(5)https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/blog/human-created-noise-pollution.html,

(6) https://lnt.org/3-ways-to-minimize-light-pollution-while-camping