Travel is the toughest nut to crack. As a family, we’ve reduced our footprint in most areas of our lives by 80%-90%. However, there is no getting around the fact that travelling from Edmonton to Vancouver in a few days will burn a whole lot of fossil fuel.

We just got back from a three week tenting trip to Vancouver Island. We visited some of BC and Alberta’s wonderful provincial and national parks, and we also managed to see a piece of the lovely Northern Cascades National Park in northern Washington. It was a fantastic trip. After all, what could be better than camping with your spouse and kids?

Our MEC tent – home for 19 days.

Our trip wasn’t greener than a cycle tour, but it was greener than it might have been. Some random thoughts about the trip, and greener holidaying in general:

• When it comes to good old-fashioned camping, the most significant way to reduce your impact is with an efficient vehicle. After visiting www.fueleconomy.gov, we chose to rent a Toyota Corolla and borrow a rack and Thule carrier back from a friend. Our family of four put 4000 kilometres on the car, using about 120 litres less gas than we would have with a minivan, and probably 300-400 litres less than we would have used with a motorhome.
• Air quality can be a problem in many national/provincial/state parks. We were conscious about burning our fires hot (with dry wood when possible, and by letting it heat up with kindling before adding bigger pieces), but most people don’t think about it too much.

  

  smoke from a poorly burning campfire reduces air quality for all campers

  Air quality seems to be ignored by the campgrounds, but I think that they could make a big difference by providing only dry wood (we paid $6 for a small bundle of poorly-seasoned wood in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve) and by educating campers on how to build clean burning fires.

• We really noticed how much waste we were generating because we had to throw nearly everything into the garbage. Recycling is creeping in to a few of the campgrounds, but there is a long way to go. I’d love to see composters available at some point too.

   

   

  recycling centre at a U.S. national park

• Some BC municipalities have come up with a smart, simple way to increase bottle and can recycling. They attach a wire basket to the outside of their public garbage cans. Brilliant! People have a place to dispose of their cans and bottles, municipalities don’t have to deal with as much solid waste, and people with lower incomes have a better revenue-generating opportunity than sifting through garbage.

  

  Bottle and can basket on garbage can, Penticton, BC

As we progress into the inevitable energy descent that finite fossil fuels require, greener holidays will get easier. Hitchhiking will become more acceptable, and maybe the train will become more accessible (pricewise). In the meantime, tenting with a small car is one of the greener ways to see this beautiful country of ours.