Eco-friendly camping

Thursday, October 10, 2008 -- 9:39 p.m.

Every year around this time, I go camping with a bunch of my friends. It's a tradition that I love--though I might not be as in love with the actual act of camping in October, in northern Wisconsin no less.

And while we're all fairly eco-conscious people to begin with, there are certain aspects of camping that make it both harder and easier to be green.

The creepiness/grossness of the showers usually keeps water use to a minimum. Camping in the great outdoors eliminates the need to heat a home, and we use local wood to keep us warm in front of the fire. We generally carpool up north in my parents' minivan, even though it makes the drive back home especially smelly. And my friends and I bring our own food, stored in tupperware and other reusable containers. We even BYO bags when we go apple picking.

But the lack of easily accessible water makes me want to use and discard plastic utensils--though we each somehow managed to hoard them after each meal to save for the next. Recycling, which is available at the campground, always gets mixed in with the garbage. And, if we're not careful, picked through by various animals. And I'm sure we throw away far more than we should, since packaging is more easily acquired and packed.

Still, camping probably ends up being more eco-friendly than spending a night in a hotel or bed and breakfast. And it puts you more in tune with the nature you're trying to preserve.

Check out Planet Green for more green camping tips!