Sustainable picnics in parks, open spaces and forests
By Michael Smith (Veshengro)
We all – well most of us – love a picnic in the open, in a park, open space or forest land and those that work in the parks and forestry services really do want you to have a good time, but that does not mean that everything has to be left behind.
Far too many people, however, do not consider what happens after they leave and how their rubbish is going to be disposed off or before anyone gets to it how it affects wildlife.
Time and again the next day after picnics staff at parks and forestry encounter the disaster that are the leftovers from such events, with ripped black bin liners and content spilled over, at times, literally miles.
You rubbish from a picnic can have a serious impact on wildlife and the countryside.
Until everything is picked up it all looks very untidy and this could be for some time depending where this picnic has happened and, in addition to that, any remains attract wildlife which could also be harmed by what may be left in the bags or just strewn around.
Large scale organized picnics at open air concerts and other events also present a challenge when participants are on the inconsiderate side and assume that the rubbish can just be left by the side of overflowing bins or even simply left, even though maybe tied up in bin liners of what have you, in the location where the event took place.
We must look at sustainability in everything that we do, whether at home or in the outdoors and a couple of considerations will go a long way towards sustainable picnics and events.
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Do not use disposables. No paper plates, cups or napkins. Bring real stuff and take it home again with you. The same goes for cutlery (flatware to you American cousins). Bring real metal cutlery or wood or bamboo. The latter will happily decay in the great outdoors or the compost heap. Best advise for sustainability: bring stuff you take home again, that is to say picnic plates of plastic or metal and real cutlery.
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Don't leave your rubbish behind. You carried it all to the location therefore you should be able to take it home with you as well. At least dispose of it properly in the proper locations. Don't just leave it behind.
It is amazing though even with people who bring real plates (plastic, metal, china) and real flatware how many of them still throw everything into the rubbish bins (or leave it besides the bins because their bags are too big to fit) including the flatware and plates they brought.
Not very sustainable and we must rethink our ways in the case of picnics like in so many other issues.
It is not sustainable to waste food and neither is it sustainable to waste cutlery and plates, etc.
Plastic cutlery is not sustainable and neither are polystyrene plates and cups. Nor, however, is using real cutlery and real plates and glasses and leaving them behind after a day in the parks or forests.
We really need to rethink how things are being done.
© 2011
