4 SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE OUTDOOR ADVENTURES MORE SUSTAINABLE

What is sustainability? It can mean different things to different people, however when we think about making outdoor adventures more sustainable we are talking about how we can make our activities and time spent in nature repeatable and maintainable without adversely impacting the environment and being respectful to the land and other people who use that land – both in terms of the place we are physically, as well as a bigger-picture impact that our activity may have on the local and global ecosystem.

When it comes to seeking more sustainable outdoor adventures, the first step to consider is how you can make those activities more 'human-powered'. When we talk about human-powered, we mean movement driven by you – whether you’re trail running, hiking, on a bike, on skis, on a paddle board or kayak, you’re traveling using your own energy, not generating engine noise or traveling using a heavy vehicle, and not consuming resources such as fossil fuels to drive your movement.

Another way to keep your environmental footprint down is to consider adventures that are closer to home and keep your travel-related carbon footprint to a minimum.

When many people think about making outdoor activities more sustainable, their first thought turns to how you can buy and use more sustainable outdoor gear and clothing. The quality and quantity of outdoor gear we use and buy is a huge area where we have the potential to make a positive impact (or at least, minimize our impact) through being mindful about our consumption of these products.

Anything that gets produced has an impact on the environment, from the sourcing of the materials needed to make it, the manufacturing and distribution process, as well as what happens to it when it reaches the end of its life. The best way to be more sustainable when it comes to your outdoor clothes and gear is to minimize how much you consume. Here are some ways to minimize your impact on the environment when it comes to your choice of outdoor gear and clothes:

- Use existing outdoor gear

- Consider used outdoor gear 

- When buying gear, look for sustainability certifications

One of the best things about spending time outdoors in nature is that actually, you don’t have to be going anywhere, or even being particularly 'active'. With so many people struggling to get enough peace and time to think, reflect and practice mindfulness, it is highly beneficial to spend time outdoors in nature for the purpose of simply being there, rather than doing anything else in particular.

By spending time amongst nature and in quiet outdoor spaces, this type of sustainability is all about looking after your own 'headspace' and fostering a positive mindset.

If simply doing 'nothing' except 'being' in nature doesn't immediately appeal to you, but you want a more mellow activity than a sweat-generating hike, trail run, or other human-powered sport, then the following learning activities will help increase your knowledge of, and connection to, nature. They're also great things to do with kids if you’re looking for outdoor activities to do with them – and none of these require the expense or consumption of large amounts of expensive outdoor gear, either.