We would all like to leave a mark and make our life significant. But we have entered an era when more ethically is to leave no trace, and yes it refers to the whole planet. 

Leave No Trace is in fact an old US born concept of certain rules to keep our relation with nature safe and under control. Too often our expeditions to most precious nature sites end up not only with our satisfaction but also ecosystem degradation. What starts as a great adventure ends up with waste left  in the woods and frightened animals. Add to that a multiplied mass effect of millions of people visiting popular destinations every year. This is damaging for nature, both fauna and flora. There is no ecosystem that may survive that. So to make our interest in nature beneficial for the planet our traveling style needs to become more eco friendly. On every level!

The Leave No Trace movement is built upon 7 key rules that seem self explanatory and easy to follow:
1. plan ahead and prepare,
2. travel and camp on durable surfaces,
3. dispose of waste properly,
4. leave what you find,
5. minimize campfire impacts,
6. respect wildlife,
7. be considerate of other visitors
– and it’s so easy to combine those rules with other eco related trends like No Waste and minimalism to some extent. For instance it’s better to focus not only on bringing your waste back home from your trip, but also simply producing less waste when travelling. And it’s definitely not about buying tonnes of new eco friendly gadgets. Sometimes of course some new stuff is needed, especially good quality equipment that lasts for years. But it’s more about having less and experiencing more. You may as well rent part of the equipment instead of buying. This approach may be extended and reach as far as you may and want. It may also concern climate friendly transportation (choosing trains over planes or offsetting your plane trips) or eating locally. By traveling without any trace (or less trace) we will leave the most beautiful mark for the future.

You may skeptically think that it’s just another catchy slogan and trending hashtag while it’s part of the magnificent transformation that is in fact already undergoing in the way we travel. Tourism has become one of the biggest world’s industries. But the most beautiful travels are not made of money. We need some money to organise a trip but our focus should be on experience, memories and local people – not more material stuff. Because the earth is on fire – metaphorically but too often also explicitly. Science says that one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction and that Earth has always suffered from the actions of humans throughout history, but over the past 50 years, these scratches have become deep scars (more here). 

For more please visit: https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/ 

Questions? Contact us at welcome@aroundpoland.eu