By SLCgreen Intern Kailee Sendle
Salt Lake City is renowned for its recreation opportunities. With the Wasatch mountains right in our backyard, it is no surprise that many Salt Lakers, including myself, have an intense passion for outdoor recreation. Often those who love the outdoors already do their part in protecting it, like recycling and limiting single-use plastics, but when it comes to how we recreate, making sustainable choices may seem a bit more daunting. Check out these tips for making your outdoor adventures more sustainable.
Get Educated!
A great place to start is learning the seven principles of Leave No Trace. These principles are a guideline for minimizing your impact in outdoor spaces. The seven principles are:
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Camp and Travel on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Others
You can find information on these principles at Leave No Trace’s website and even take a free online course to perfect your Leave No Trace knowledge.
As an outdoor enthusiast, knowing that I am participating in a larger movement to protect the spaces we love is really important to me. When you choose to adopt these principles, you become part of a community that shares the values of environmental stewardship.
Know the Rules and Follow Them!
Every trail, canyon, and recreation area will have their own rules that you should research before you leave for your adventure. For example, Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon don’t allow dogs. This rule is especially important because these canyons are protected watersheds that we use for drinking water in Salt Lake City. Sustainable practices not only keep our recreation spaces in top shape, but also protect our health.
Rules and regulations for recreation areas can often be found with a quick Google search. If you are camping, Recreation.gov is a great resource for campground-specific rules. If you are recreating in a national forest, like the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache areas, the US Forest Service has a wealth of information and visitor guidelines.
Be Mindful When Purchasing Gear
Outdoor recreation often comes with the need for a lot of gear! Whether you’re a beginner starting your gear collection or a seasoned recreator looking to make upgrades and replacements, you can make these choices more sustainable.
Buy Secondhand
Buying your gear from thrift stores, gear exchanges, or Facebook Marketplace helps give gear a new life! The average clothing item is only worn 7-10 times before being thrown away. By choosing to purchase secondhand, you are extending the life cycle of these items which may have otherwise ended up in the landfill. The choice to purchase secondhand can also save you money! High quality gear and equipment can be very spendy when bought new but is often a fraction of the cost when you purchase it used. The money you save from buying secondhand can help you to invest in better quality gear when you do need to buy new or save money for other aspects of your outdoor adventures!
Some of my own great finds include a $30 Black Diamond ski shell from Savers and a Big Agnes sleeping pad for $50 from Facebook Marketplace. You may have to practice some patience in order to get what you need, but don’t give up too soon! Salt Lake City has such a large pool of recreators that there is constantly gear and equipment cycling through, so stay on the lookout.
If you aren’t ready to buy your own gear yet or are just testing out a new hobby, renting or borrowing gear is also a great option!
Look for Quality Meant to Last
Sometimes you do need to buy gear or equipment new, especially when it comes to safety gear and equipment. When your life depends on your gear performing, you don’t want to risk it. When you are buying new, look for items made with quality materials and sustainably sourced materials. Examples include organic and natural materials such as hemp, recycled polyester, organic cotton, and bamboo. These materials are often produced without pesticides or harmful chemicals. They are also good at regulating temperature and can be more durable than synthetic fabrics. Typically, if a product is sustainable and built to last, this information usually isn’t too hard to find on their website or even on the item’s tag.
Another easy way to check brands for sustainable practices is by looking for a certification. One type of certification is the Climate Neutral certification. This means the company is actively working towards a net-zero goal. Many other certifications for sustainable practices exist and can be found here. If you see something that looks like a certification, be sure to give it a closer look. Misleading advertising that gives the false impression of sustainable practices, known as greenwashing, is a fairly common practice. Double checking is always a good idea.
If It’s Broke, Fix It
The most sustainable gear is the gear you already own! That means when your gear gets damaged, see if it’s fixable before you decide to toss it and look for a replacement. Whether it be a tear in your tent, a broken buckle on a backpack, or a rip in your jacket, fixing these issues is usually far cheaper than buying a replacement. Most small issues can be fixed with basic tools and a little online research. Patagonia even offers video and guides on how to repair your gear yourself!
Gear Healer is a local technical outerwear repair business in Salt Lake City. Leah, the woman behind the needle, does a variety of repairs and alterations to get your gear performing optimally and extending the life cycle of your initial gear investments. Contributing to sustainability in outdoor recreation is a big part of Leah’s mission as a gear healer.
“As an environmentalist, I take great pride in my contribution to the repair revolution. My primary goal with every fix is to restore the best function possible without sacrificing aesthetics. So let’s get you back on the trails, slopes, routes, and roads knowing your most trusted gear has a new lease on life!” -Leah, Gear Healer
You can find more information about Gear Healer and schedule an appointment on the Gear Healer website.
There are other gear repair services available too. For example, Lone Pine Gear Exchange offers ski tune ups and gear repair, and Village Cobbler Shoe Repair can breathe new life into the most worn hiking soles. Community member, Rachael Hall, has a mending pop-up at the Bouldering Project the first Wednesday of every month too from 4-8pm. She does on-the-spot clothing repairs for a small donation and offers consultation on larger projects. Beyond local businesses, some outdoor companies offer mail in gear repair services including Patagonia, Arc’teryx, Osprey, Big Agnes and more.
What’s Next?
The next time we take to the trails or the slopes, let’s remember the spirit of sustainability and respect for the spaces we recreate in. Embracing sustainable practices in our gear choices and trail etiquette isn’t just about minimizing our impact on the environment, it also about being part of a collective movement and community that is fighting for larger changes in how we relate to land, resources and one another. Let your future adventures be a reminder that our love for the outdoors is best shown through actions of stewardship and respect.