Be a Green Camper

Surely one is never so in tune with the environment as when camping. The woods, the water, the sky ... all of the planet’s great wildernesses become our playground when we’re out getting back to nature.

But they are also our responsibility. And even the most conscientious of campers can’t help but leave a footprint. Here are a few quick ways to make less of an impact when camping this summer.

Fire. Keep it controlled, and, when finished, douse it with water -- again and again and again -- until the ashes are no longer hot. Campfire leftovers during dry seasons are regularly the cause of forest fires. Also, don’t burn anything plastic.

Bathing. Even the most rugged of wilderness campers occasionally needs a wash. (Seriously, now.) But we already know what our soaps and detergents do to aquatic ecosystems (see, for example, the Green Tip on Storm Sewers ). Keep your soap and shampoo out of the lake. Even natural soaps, like the commendable Campsuds, are designed to be used on land, far away from the water -- and not in the shallow areas of a lake or a river, which are so often prime mating and nursery real estate.

Dishes. Same goes for the after-dinner washing. Avoid introducing alien food bits and dish soap into a perfectly good ecosystem. Keep it away from the lake, and leave as little food and soap behind as possible.

Poop. Here’s a stinky issue. Seriously, what a bear does in the woods is his prerogative, but chances are his droppings aren’t as full of chemicals, toxins, and strange urban bacteria as yours are. Dig a hole, far away from water and footpaths, and bury it. And take your dirty toilet paper -- yes, really, do -- back to town with you.

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