Now that summer is in full swing, I imagine many of you will be going on outdoor outings such as a camping or hiking trip. While you are out there, you should try to keep our planet beautiful. In order to do this, you should follow an outdoor ethics code called leave no trace. LNT is incredibly important to practice in your everyday life. Whenever you go on an outdoor outing, you should try to practice LNT to the best of your ability. I believe that in order to protect our planet, we should all be aware of the points of leave no trace.

Leave No Trace consists of seven points:

1. Plan ahead and prepare.

Before you go on any outing, make sure you should be familiar with all the rules and regulations of the area you will be going to. Additionally, you should make sure that you have everything you need to practice Leave No Trace to the best of your ability.

2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.

Trails are set up for a reason. You should always use them when available. Wandering off of trails can create “social trails” which are just a big eyesore for anyone who sees them. Additionally, walking on ground where vegetation is growing can crush and kill all the vegetation and saplings. Most places have designated areas to walk and camp in order to limit the amount of ground that is disturbed.

3. Dispose of waste properly.

This point goes far beyond simply not littering.If you see any trash on the ground, you should pick it up. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t put it there. We should all do our part to keep the planet beautiful. In fact, you could designate a pocket for trash and empty it when you find a place to throw it away.

4. Leave what you find.

A big part of being on a trip outdoors is the discovery experience. This is that feeling you get when you find something really cool. If you take something that you think is really cool, you are robbing someone else of the discovery experience. Taking things that you find could also affect the ecosystem that it was a part of. This point could also be called leave it as you found it. This encompasses removing any unnatural things you may have brought with you. Take only pictures, leave only footprints.

5. Minimize campfire impact.

Much like trails, campfire rings are set up for a reason. A campfire will char and destroy the ground it is built on. We do not need to build fires wherever we want. This will only destroy more land than is necessary. More campfires also mean a higher chance of forest fires. We can still enjoy a campfire, we just need to do so responsibly.

6. Respect wildlife.

How would you like it if someone came into your home and started touching you, trying to feed you, and chasing you around? I bet you would hate it. Well, animals hate that too when we are in their home. Plus, feeding animals may make them rely on humans and will decrease their chance of survival. Some animals will abandon their young if they have come in contact with humans. A good rule to follow is if an animal starts to walk away, you are probably too close.

7. Be respectful of other visitors.

This point kind of ties all the other points together. If you had an awesome experience, you should want everyone else to have an awesome experience as well.

If you practice leave no trace every time you an on an outdoor outing, we can all enjoy the great outdoors and leave our planet a little more beautiful than how we found it!