Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Slow Living In
The Great Outdoors
Nine “Eco-Campy” Ideas
By Lisa Borden
D
o you dream about sleeping
under the stars and taking deep
breaths of fresh air? Spending a
night outdoors shouldn’t be a lofty goal,
but a priority. No phones, no black-
berry, no facebook or twitter, no light
pollution and less air pollution. We’ve
all heard of Slow Food, but we should
also start embracing a more ‘slow liv-
ing.’ (NB: I’m convincing myself as I
write this.) 1. Blow up and slow down - Since Although the little buzzers are labeled
The privilege of sleeping out- there’s a good chance that you’ll be as dangerous by many, insect repellants
doors, whether in the wilderness, a using a car to get out of the city, make are sadly not given the same courtesy.
campground, in your own backyard or sure your tires are inflated, slow down There are many natural, DEET and
napping on the edge of a dock, carries and take the country roads if you need chemical-insecticide-free solutions. (My
responsibility. The fact that the earth is to avoid heavy traffic (or want to enjoy kids use Outdoor Joose by All Things Jill, a
fighting for its life due to our uncon- a more scenic route) - you’ll get better Canadian company.)
scious activities should make us aware mileage overall, cut down on emissions
that we need to tread lightly, so genera- and even save some money. If you are 3. Cover up and clean up - Wear a
tions to come won’t despise us. renting a car, avoid falling for that “free” hat, and when wearing sunscreen, say
Disconnecting from your city upgrade; a bigger car will cost more in no-no to all things nano. It’s tragic for
routine and enjoying what’s actually gas, and take a toll on our air too. us as consumers, that nothing stops
in front of you over what’s virtually in companies from manufacturing and sell-
front of you is wonderful. The ‘ecofica- 2. Be a turn-off (to mosquitoes) - ing dangerous personal care products.
tion’ of your outdoor vacation is not Mosquitoes are (unfortunately for us) Educate yourself on nano-materials,
complicated. It’s not even more expen- well-equipped to track you down. Don’t sunscreen safety and soaps and sham-
sive. It is just a shift in thinking from help them out more by wearing any- poos so that you can avoid toxic stuff
‘anything goes’ to ‘my actions impact thing with synthetic “fragrance” (read: being rubbed into your skin and going
everything.’ toxic) – that includes ALL personal care into our water. If it’s on you, it’s IN you,
items. They are drawn to contrast, so and then in all of us. The Environmental
Here are some firestarters to en- avoid dark clothing as best you can. Eat Working Group runs www.cosmeticsdata-
sure you’ll be a happy camper: lots of garlic too – it really does help! base.com - a great place to start.