Let's have an eco-friendly picnic!

Spring has come at last! At least, the meteorological spring took off on the 1^st of March. Everyone is already enjoying the first sun of Spring. An ideal moment for having a first picnic with friends!

What do you think of having an eco-friendly picnic? It’s a picnic that honors the environment. Here I’ll give you some tips to enrich your picnic experience of the habitat and wildlife you encounter, and to reduce your impact on the environment.

First of all, stay local! Don’t drive to your picnic spot but walk, bike or take public transportation. This way you save resources (gas) and reduce pollutants. You also get fitter by biking or walking and you get to know more about your local habitat.

Secondly, use reusables! Such as: napkins, plastic containers, tablecloths, thermoses, insulated bags, dish towels, etc. By reusing all these utensils over the years, you can decrease your use of resources and also save some money in the long run!

The third tip is maybe very obvious but should be mentioned as some people tend to forget to take away their garbage. So don’t forget to take away your garbage and other’s too! As you all know, litter left behind can contaminate water, land, harm animals and is often very slow to degrade.  

While creating your menu, choose fresh, local and organic foods! I hear you thinking: why? Well, local organic farms are a treasure for any community. They protect the environment, and provide wholesome nourishing food. If you choose to eat meat, reduce the amount and make sure it’s organic. Did you know that it takes 9 pounds of wheat to produce 1 pound of meat? So it’s much better to eat vegetables on your picnic.

At last, use less toxic products! Even your sunscreen can pollute the environment. So use natural sunscreen and bug repellent. Natural products are safer for you and their manufacturing process is less polluting.

When having your first picnic of the year, keep those tips in mind! Can you come up with some other ways to protect the environment while picnicking?

No? Check out this website: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/eco-friendly-picnics.html

Liesbeth Rubben