Photo credit: Brigitte Morin
Camping has got to be one of my favorite pass-times; I have been camping for years, and have had the opportunity to visit over 30 Canadian parks. I always had a problem with going out in nature and creating a bunch of waste; all the food items which are practical on a camping trip come along with disposable wrappers, or there weren’t any waste diverting options (other than burning in the campfire) on site.
Hot dogs, dry foods, energy bars, even ice and log bags come with a plastic bag. Empty cans and beer bottles don’t smell nice after three days in the car; which is why most people throw out their recyclables in the park waste bins rather than bringing them home. At Mont Tremblant Park last week, I noticed that they were advertising recycling and a few other environmental initiatives on the plasma screen inside the welcome cabin. On the way to our site, I saw the huge recycling bins and noticed that they removed most of the waste bins at the cleaning station. I took a look inside the recycling bins and was really impressed, they were full and the contamination rate was low!
Then comes the camp-fire logs; at Tremblant, they sell them in cloth bags which you place on a hook at the cleaning stations once you are done to get a deposit back. There are also a variety of other initiatives including the use of sustainable local wood to build their cabins. I must say that I was really impressed; I am always extra careful while packing; cooking most of my foods ahead of time, and making sure that we will not produce waste, but there are always small things that you don’t think about ahead of time such as running out of food or wood.
The only thing left are replacement ice bags; I think they should offer to re-freeze your ice packs or sell the ice in bulk rather than bags.
Any Ideas?
For more SÉPAQ sustainable development initiatives, click here
-brigitte