8/9/2019 Slow Living in the Great Outdoors - 9 "Eco-Campy" Ideas

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tonic|Summer 2010| 43

Do you dream about sleepingunder the stars and taking deepbreaths of fresh air? Spending a

night outdoors shouldnt be a lofty goal,but a priority. No phones, no black-berry, no facebook or twitter, no lightpollution and less air pollution. Weveall heard of Slow Food, but we shouldalso start embracing a more slow liv-

ing. (NB: Im convincing myself as Iwrite this.)

The privilege of sleeping out-doors, whether in the wilderness, acampground, in your own backyard ornapping on the edge of a dock, carriesresponsibility. The fact that the earth isghting for its life due to our uncon-scious activities should make us awarethat we need to tread lightly, so genera-tions to come wont despise us.

Disconnecting from your city

routine and enjoying whats actuallyin front of you over whats virtually infront of you is wonderful. The ecoca-tion of your outdoor vacation is notcomplicated. Its not even more expen-sive. It is just a shift in thinking fromanything goes to my actions impacteverything.

Here are some restarters to en-sure youll be a happy camper:

1.Blow up and slow down - Sincetheres a good chance that youll beusing a car to get out of the city, makesure your tires are inated, slow downand take the country roads if you needto avoid heavy trafc (or want to enjoya more scenic route) - youll get bettermileage overall, cut down on emissionsand even save some money. If you arerenting a car, avoid falling for that freeupgrade; a bigger car will cost more in

gas, and take a toll on our air too.

2. Be a turn-off (to mosquitoes) -Mosquitoes are (unfortunately for us)well-equipped to track you down. Donthelp them out more by wearing any-thing with synthetic fragrance (read:toxic) that includes ALL personal careitems. They are drawn to contrast, soavoid dark clothing as best you can. Eatlots of garlic too it really does help!

Although the little buzzers are labeledas dangerous by many, insect repellantsare sadly not given the same courtesy.

There are many natural, DEET andchemical-insecticide-free solutions. (Mykids use Outdoor Joose by All Things Jill, aCanadian company.)

3. Cover up and clean up - Wear ahat, and when wearing sunscreen, sayno-no to all things nano. Its tragic for

us as consumers, that nothing stopscompanies from manufacturing and sell-ing dangerous personal care products.Educate yourself on nano-materials,sunscreen safety and soaps and sham-poos so that you can avoid toxic stuffbeing rubbed into your skin and goinginto our water. If its on you, its IN you,and then in all of us. The EnvironmentalWorking Group runs www.cosmeticsdata-base.com - a great place to start.

smart living

Slow Living InThe Great OutdoorsNine Eco-Campy IdeasBy Lisa Borden

8/9/2019 Slow Living in the Great Outdoors - 9 "Eco-Campy" Ideas

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Lisa Borden~ is an eco-advocate, whose marketing business,Borden Communications + Design is a directreection of her commitment to better, moreresponsible living. lisa@bordencom.com

4. Get off the bottle - Buying vitaminsis expensive, so go as natural as youcan soaking up the sun in moderationhelps your body manufacture vitaminD, which we know is essential to ourwellbeing. Tanning (not burning) isa healthy response, and some studiesshow that those who expose themselves

to the sun in moderation, actually lowertheir skin cancer risk.

5. Re-fuse and re-use - Foam platesand cups, paper towel and napkins,plastic cutlery and straws are single-useearth-wreckers. Refuse all and investin safe reusables they will reduce thetrash you produce and save you lots ofmoney over time. And, always be sureto have your reusable water bottle with

you. Fill. Drink. Repeat often.

6. Feel the power - Powering up allthose gadgets with conventional bat-teries then dumping them in landllscreates a toxic mess. Instead, tryrechargeables, or better yet, take a lookat wind powered, solar powered orhand crank eco-gadgets coming on the

market with great force. Choose LEDashlight/lanterns, as they are a muchmore energy-efcient alternative.

7. Get lots of free gear PVC-free,phthalate-free, BPA-free and lead-freeare just a few of the FREE things tolook for when shopping for goods like

tents, sleeping bags, water bottles andclothing. Remember to ask salespeoplefor responsible items at the store - youmay get a confused look in return, but

where there is demand, there will besupply. Mountain Equipment Co-op isone of the better bets in Toronto, frominformed staff to a wider selection ofsafer products.

8.All red up - Build your campre tothe size you need, as unnecessarily big,roaring res burn more resources (andincrease hazards). Use only fallen twigsand branches for rewood - the livetrees are working hard for us, pleasedont disrupt them. Your re also offersa more eco-friendly cooking optionthan a gas or coal grill. And please, nev-er burn your trash - you certainly dont

want to inhale burning plastic, metal orwood (many of which are treated withchemicals), do you?

9.Come with it, leave with it - You re-cycle at home, so, you should continuethat eco-conscious practice when away,regardless of whether or not there are

recycling bins on your site. And, besure to use polyethylene-free com-postable and biodegradable garbagebags. Leave with everything you came

with to ensure all is clean and ready forthe next lucky city escapees.

Spending time outdoors provides healthbenets for the body and the mind:fresher air, unplugged time with those

you adore, inspiring vistas and calmquietude. Enjoy every moment, bringhome lots of memories and do your bestto make sure the only marks you leavebehind are your (light) footprints.

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