Tails from the trail and tips on training your human

Saving the Earth: Barbecuing on the beach and leaving behind the six-pack when returning home? Flicking a cigarette butt on the sand? Leaving behind empty sunscreen bottles and soda cans? There are so many ways you, me and everyone around us are damaging our beaches, our rivers, our mountains, our neighborhoods and our environment. It has become such a habit to us that we don’t even realize we are doing it. We might not even think of ourselves as careless citizens who are directly contributing to environmental degradation and pollution. We are living in our own delusional bubbles because there are people who are correcting our mistakes behind us, people who are picking up and cleaning up after us, people who are working round the clock to reverse the harm that we are inflicting on our beautiful planet.

The Superheroes who are saving the planet

The reason you and I have the luxury of forgetting the global environmental tragedy is because of people who are working to save the earth and reverse the damage. They work tirelessly in cleaning up our oceans, our rivers, and our mountains. They ensure that we still get to visit beautiful, impeccably clean beaches, and hike up mountains that look and feel as natural as ever. They work hard so that we can have safe places to go out and enjoy, so that our natural treasures are preserved, and our ecosystems remain undamaged and undisturbed. They try as best as they can to prolong the life of our planet.

But they hardly get any recognition or appreciation. Most of us are entirely unaware of the work they do and who they are. Even though they deserve all the applause they can get, we barely know of any. There are NGOs, and non-profit organizations that are working for this planet. Though they do not care much for awards and applause, because the work they are doing is essential to our survival and they don’t need our appreciation for them to continue, we need to realize what they are doing for us.

The onus of saving the planet is not on them; it’s on everybody. Every single person who lives on the planet has a responsibility towards it. But we conveniently choose to ignore it and leave the dirty work over to others. Unless we realize and appreciate what these superheroes do for us, we will never be inspired to change.

We can be Superheroes too!

Though these superheroes deserve all our respect and admiration, we must always remember that we can be superheroes in our own right as well. We can take up the noble cause that they are working towards and make a difference too. By adopting more environmentally friendly practices in life, and by being more careful citizens, we can not only make their work easier, but also directly contribute to the good work that they are doing.

Here are just some of the things that we can do to be no less than superheroes too.

Arrange a Beach Cleanup

The superheroes are cleaning up the oceans, why don’t you take over the cleanup of the beaches? Arrange regular beach cleanups with your mates, neighbors and other residents of the town. If we take these beach clean-ups into our own hands, we might have perfectly clean beaches to go and it won’t even take so much work when it is a collective effort. Not to mention all the fun you could have when doing a beach cleanup together.

Recycle Materials

Use the recycle bins placed around town. Sort out your trash into recyclable and non-recyclable trash and discard of it responsibly. If we start recycling more, we will no longer have to produce so much material from scratch and would be saving up on energy and resources too. So many recyclable things make their way to the trash because we are too unaware or too irresponsible to do the work.

Minimize Plastic Usage

Aah, the notorious plastic again. If only this one material didn’t exist today a lot of our environmental problems may not have been born. The majority of our landfills comprise of plastic products, and we know for a fact that they are not going anywhere anytime soon. Minimize or completely eliminate plastic from your lives and use better, more sustainable alternatives. Trust us, it is possible!

Be Not Wasteful

Only buy and consume what you need. Excessive consumption from our side leads the corporations and industries to produce more and more, using up more precious energy sources, mass producing more things than the world will need which will eventually become trash in landfills. We must keep our buying and consumption habits in check for it is one of the easiest ways we can help the earth. Do not waste anything; once an item ceases to be of use to you, pass it on to someone who might need it instead of tossing it in the bin.

Do not litter

We all learned this as a kid but somehow unlearned it over the years. Littering is a terrible habit, and we must all be overly conscious of the trash we leave behind in public spaces. We must always pick up our own trash and discard it in the bin responsibly like a good citizen.

Apart from doing all of that, one way you can help the NGOs and organizations that cleaning our oceans and our lands is through monetary donations. These organizations do not do this for any personal gains and are thus run on the basis of donations by people who care about the environment too. Often these organizations are understaffed and have low resources. Each penny you donate can be priceless to them and can help the planet in more ways than you can comprehend.

Open your heart and donate generously to these organizations as our lives literally depend on the work they are doing. If not for them, we might have been living on a very different planet. If not for them, we might not have had much time on this planet anymore. The future depends on us.

by Bobby J Davidson

We are in business to provide great products for the outdoorsy hikers, campers and their dogs; and to help clean our parks, rivers and oceans for a better planet earth for hikers and their dogs.

Parks Clean

Parks are high-traffic areas in most cities. This means that trash is bound to show up in and around your park and playground.

When discussing ways your family can help clean your local park, don’t overlook a literal cleanup! Picking up trash will make a huge difference in the appearance and vibe of your park. A clean area will encourage others to keep the park pristine. When picking up trash and debris, make sure to wear gloves to protect yourself, and put trash in appropriate receptacles or lawn bags. You can also contact your local trash company to schedule a pickup when you are finished.

Rivers Clean

The storm drain on your street collects the water from your roof, driveway, and sidewalk and funnels it directly in your local lake or river. Nutrients from grass and leaves, pet waste, and fertilizers “enrich” our lakes and streams — feeding algae blooms and harming fish. Chemicals from washing your car in the drive and household chemical spills add up, taking a nasty toll on our favorite swimming areas and fishing spots. Soil can also be picked up by runoff, reducing the clarity of water and hurting fish.

So as you prepare your lawn and garden, here are a few helpful tips to keep our lakes and rivers beautiful and safe for all of us.

Use mulch and vegetation to keep soil from washing away.
Sweep or rake grass and leaves away from street curbs.
Mulch and compost grass clippings and leaves.
Keep paved surfaces to a minimum.
Capture water runoff with a rain garden and rain barrels.
Wash your car on the grass, where the water will get filtered.
Keep chemicals away from storm drains.
Collect your pet’s waste.
Aim your rain-gutter downspouts onto grass.

Beaches Clean (do it for the ocean)

In 2007, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Clean Beaches Week Resolution to recognize the value of beaches to the American way of life and the important contributions of beaches to the economy, recreation, and natural environment of the United States.

Clean Beaches Week, celebrated annually July 1-7, offers the perfect opportunity to encourage stewardship and volunteerism along our coastlines. But where do you even begin? Follow these tips to get started.

Identify a clean-up site. Choose a place that needs some TLC, making sure that volunteers can safely access the site. Get permission, if needed, for your clean-up event, perhaps from the local parks agency.
Choose a site coordinator. (That might be you!) A beach clean-up takes a lot of work and needs an organized person to keep everything on track before, during, and after the event.
Visit the site in advance. The coordinator will need to know where to set up a volunteer check-in station, where to leave trash and recyclables, and what area(s) volunteers will clean.
Gather supplies. Depending on your location, you’ll need supplies such as trash bags, a first aid kit, hand sanitizer, wipes, and large coolers of water. You should also provide (or ask volunteers to bring) items such as reusable work/garden gloves, reusable water bottles, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Plan how to handle the recyclables. Reach out to recyclers in your area (and perhaps your community’s solid waste departments) to make arrangements for accepting any glass, plastic, and aluminum that you collect.
Line up event partners. Contact local businesses for donations of drinks, food, and supplies. Ask a local solid waste hauler to donate their services for trash removal.
Plan for handling hazardous waste. Determine how you’ll dispose of any medical and sewage waste you might find. One solution: A wide-mouth container with a tight-fitting lid, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle. Clearly label that it contains hazardous waste.
Get volunteers to help. Recruit friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Create an event on Facebook and ask volunteers to sign up online. This will give you an idea of how many people to expect and will help communicate event details.
Stay safe. Be prepared for a variety of health emergencies, from minor cuts and scrapes to heat stroke.
Take photos! Post pics online to share the success of your event and recognize volunteers for their hard work.