In Part 1, I explained how campers are a benefit to our environment because they help to Keep Nature Natural. In Part 2, we will see how campers continue to help the environment by Reducing, Reusing, & Recycling, not only at camp but in their everyday lives.

If you are unfamiliar with the terms Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle then here is a quick recap. Reduce is meant to remind you to (Reduce) the amount of waste you produce or even acquire. Reuse is there to remind you to try and find ways to use items in another way or re-purpose the way you use certain items after they have been initially used for their intended purpose. Recycling is an extended effort to keep waste out of the landfills and ultimately out of the ecosystem by taking a product of some sort, such as plastic, paper, clothing, etc... and completely transforming it into a whole new product.

Keeping in the spirit of Keeping Nature Natural; Reduce, Reuse & Recycle has made it into the mainstream media and even our collective consciousness as a way of preserving and protecting our environment from ourselves. So, society today, and future generations will be able to continue to enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Camping is not something where you can just order a box, get everything you need, and just go out and do it. Camping is a building process. You are building your own personal camping lifestyle. In doing so, there is plenty of learning through trial and error. People new to camping might not have this knowledge yet, but people who have been camping for a while know very well that the camping life is not all cut and dry....or cheap.

This is why if you ever read any camping blogs or articles, you will notice a lot of “Camping tricks” or “Camping Hacks” out there. Many of these tricks and hacks seem to be written for campers to find ways to save money. When in reality, it just caters to the Camping Mind Programming. Again, most campers are stewards of the land. They subconsciously want to keep their environment clean and healthy. Yes, we also want to save money where we can.

However, these tricks and hacks serve a greater purpose. Many tricks and hacks use items typically found around the house. These items are then repurposed, by modifying what they were originally intended for into something else. Keeping with the Reduce, Reuse & Recycle frame of mind.

To remedy any possible un-foreseen needs campers may have around their campsite, they can take these tricks and hacks and “try them out” first. Cutting down on waste, because they repurposed items from around the house they would have thrown out, ultimately ending up in a landfill. Saving time and money instead of buying new items that they think will work for their campsite. If it doesn’t, they would ultimately throw it away, (producing more waste) and have to buy something else, (costing more money). This might work out well for camping retailers, but not for the camper, or the environment.

As stated in Part 1, Campers are a unique minded group of people. They often have the ability to carry over knowledge they have acquired camping and apply it to their everyday lives. Camping is just another form and style of living. Giving campers a much broader set of knowledge and skills to help them out in their everyday lives at home. All those tricks and hacks used for the campsite can also be used at home as well. Campers are often seen learning through trial and error using these cheaper tricks and hacks for something they need around the house. If it works out well for them, they have now acquired more time. Time to shop around and find better products, deals or ways to achieve the same goal the trick or hack has accomplished. Again, saving time, money, and in the long run, the environment.

Campers are continuously updating and re-programming their own personal search terms and definitions of what the camping ideal is to them. This takes time, effort, and money. In an ongoing dance of trying to find more time, reduce the effort and the amount of money it takes to create that ideal view of camping, campers have found and shared, tricks and hacks to help create that ideal view much more manageable. Not only that, but they have found a way those tricks and hacks they have created to also match their goal of Preserving, Protecting & Improving our Environment.

To Be Continued...(Part 3) Take only Memories, Leave a Small Carbon Footprint!