This code was developed for members of the Active Tourism and Leisure Club (ATO) at the end of 2003 as part of a lecture on organizing a bivouac. But already in 2004, a discussion of the principles of nature conservation by tourists was organized via the Internet and amendments were made by tourists from Novosibirsk Akademgorodok, Stavropol, Nizhny Novgorod, etc. We are ready to further discuss and add various principles of nature conservation during hikes, but the proposals must be reasonable.
The Green Code encourages all tourists to respect nature, regardless of the type of tourism and especially in popular sites. Preserving nature and causing minimal damage to it from our activities is the task of every tourist.
“Green Code” of tourists.
Garbage:
1. Take on a hike a minimum amount of packaging, disposable tableware and “disposable” things that you will have to throw away later.
2. Before going on a trip, it is recommended to repackage products purchased in their “original” packaging into reliable, more convenient reusable containers (special food containers, PET bottles, etc.).
3. Do not use containers and packaging made from harmful materials. (For example, PVC plastics, designated as PVC or “3” in a triangle) This is harmful to you and the environment.
4. To facilitate disposal, all generated waste is divided into three classes:
Class 1: disposed of in compost pits or in soil – food waste (residues of plant and animal food, burnt tin cans);
Class 2: disposed of by burning at the stake – easily decomposed, flammable-1 (paper, wood, safe plastics);
Class 3: Dispose of by evacuation to the nearest waste container – non-degradable, flammable-2 (metal, glass, hazardous plastics [PVC]);
Bonfire and around it:
1. When lighting a fire, strive to cause the least harm to living trees, grass and soil cover.
2. Build a fire in old fire pits or areas free of vegetation and other vulnerable natural objects.
3. In the absence of old fire pits:
a) grass cover: carefully remove the turf, moisten it, and leave it intact. Build a fire in the resulting area. At the end of the fire, the turf is returned to the water-filled coals and further watered from above.
b) peat soils: lighting a fire is highly undesirable, because there is a high probability of peat fire, which is extremely difficult to extinguish without special equipment.
The place under the fire is dug in, a layer of stones or sand or a metal sheet is placed down. The place is surrounded with stones and water is poured abundantly around the perimeter. Before leaving, the area is thoroughly filled with water. The residual process of smoldering/smoking is strictly unacceptable!
If possible, if you are planning a long trip through peat areas, use kerosene stoves and gas burners for cooking food and limit the lighting of fires as much as possible.
c) in the mountains: refuse to use fires due to the minimum number of trees; use primus stoves and gas burners for cooking.
4. Take measures to use fuel economically (use lids on dishes, build windproof and heat-reflecting walls, screens, etc.)
5. In places where there are large concentrations of tourists and where the amount of dry firewood is limited, use burners, kerosene stoves, etc. as much as possible when cooking food as fuel.
Remember! The vast majority of forest fires occur “thanks” to humans!
Washing and washing:
1. Wash and wash dishes at a distance of at least 50 m from the nearest water bodies (stream, lake, river, etc.);
2. The resulting dirty water should be sprinkled on the ground so that it is filtered by the soil. (do not pour into the pond!);
3. When using soap and shampoo, you should wash at a distance of at least 50 m from the nearest body of water;
4. Avoid letting fats and oily foods into drainless bodies of water. Before washing dishes, remove grease mechanically (with a rag, etc.). This also saves detergents.
5. Use natural detergents (ash, sand), biodegradable substances, chlorine-free synthetic detergents;
6. Wash clothes and wash your body with a minimum amount of synthetic detergents.
Natural Detergent Recipes:
for dishes:
The remains of ordinary soap and soda are diluted in hot water; juice of horsetail or elderberry plants;
Drinking tea and brewed wormwood effectively removes fat.
for washing applies:
two parts grated soap, one part baking soda, one part borax.
Toilets:
1. A special place with a pit is allocated, regularly sprinkled with a layer of neutral substance (sand, sawdust), which prevents the spread of odor and interaction with insects.
2. When leaving the parking lot, the toilet is buried and covered with turf, previously removed and stored.
Energy:
1. Use fire fuel sparingly (if you can not burn it, don’t burn it);
2. Save electrical energy (chemical source, hydrocarbon fuel generator, non-traditional source);
3. Use non-traditional natural energy sources as widely as possible: wind, thermal waters, sun rays, etc. (for large camps and expeditions where there is a permanent base camp);
Join us! Try to comply with the requirements of the “Green Tourist Code” and they should become natural in tourist life!
P.S.: If you, dear reader, are ready to support the “Green Tourist Code,” then join us, copy this text and distribute it among your friends.
To join the action it is absolutely not necessary to go hiking, follow the “Green” code with your friends when going out into the countryside to the lake or barbecue.
Stop your neighbor who throws out trash before it reaches the garbage disposal.
If everyone doesn’t throw away at least one piece of paper and takes away their own trash, or even better, someone else’s that happened to be at your overnight stay, then how nice it will be to come to this place after!
