...keep it light. The more you carry, the more gas you use.
Stop at the WalMart near your destination for gallons of water, Gatorade etc.
I also cook big meals at home (like chili, pulled beef etc). Freeze 'em, pack in the cooler.
They begin to defrost in transit, yet keep the cooler colder.
At mealtime, little energy is needed to heat up dinner.
I also freeze 1/4 of my drinks. ei. O.j./milk - freeze 1/4 of the juice a couple days before leaving home. Fill the rest of the liquid before leaving home. (Dont use HARD plastic for freezing, the container will crack)
Saves space in the cooler and weight in the tv because you need less ice.
Fridge gets colder fast too when items inside are frozen.
I saw solar tacky lights somewhere. I'll have to find those again.
All of these are little things, but if we combine them all, it's a BIG difference.
“Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time.”
In the event of rain, why not catch rain water in a couple buckets. You can use this for flushing toilets! Actually, my mother (World War 2 German who's been doing "Green" all her life --- as most who lived in Germany during that time were forced to do) has been doing this all her life (drives me crazy), but she insists it saved $$$ on electricity and water (Her house has a well).
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
Century Truck Cap Commercial /Toolboxes
Northeast Outfitters Canoe
I reduce trash when camping by burning the dispoable plates we eat from... I camp in wooded areas and figure that the trees and bushes filter out any bad air created by burning the disposables...
trees and bushes filter out any bad air created by burning the disposables...
I wish it worked that way. Truth is, burning the additives in the disposable items creates a toxic poison. Yes, the city dumps burn too, but they have tons of machines that are suppose to clean it up better than we can.
Just be sure anything thrown in the fire has no colors, residue or anything not "produced naturally".
We dry camp or boondock almost exclusively, so we "pack it in, pack it out" in a serious way. We separate cans, bottles, jars, foil and paper as we normally would, and recycle them when we get home. We use aluminum foil for cooking and storing food, and often eat right out of the foil we cooked in or wrapped something in. And frankly, we eat a lot of foods that don't require plates or silverware. Hard boiled eggs, bagels and fruit for breakfast, salami w/cheese & crackers for lunch, grilled meats or foil packet meals for dinner, that sort of thing. Snacks can be any type of finger food -- string cheese, almonds, beef jerky, grapes or raisins, baby carrots, celery w/almond butter. Anything that doesn't need a plate ROCKS! We can camp for 3 or 4 days and generate very little garbage and have almost no dishes (mainly silverware) to wash. If you do composting at home, bring a compost bucket with you for egg shells, coffee grounds, etc. Take it home with you to dump it. And just like at home, use only natural, biodegradable cleaning products in the RV.
I admit we DO use paper products and some pre-packaged foods -- but we do so sparingly and always with reusing and recycling in mind. We aren't perfect, but we do what we can. Every little bit DOES help! This is a great post -- I look forward to hearing other "green" ideas!
* This post was
edited 04/30/08 12:40am by SwanInWA *
Teri--the RV.net addict!
DEAR and WONDERFUL husband Eric (& furry faced Angus!) Western Washington
.
Use crank or shakable flashlights and portable radios.
Cook on campfire to save propane or electric.
Install solar panel for power.
Purchase 2 horses to pull you RV...just kidding!
- When somebody has a truck with 6 tires compared to my 4
- When somebody has this year's truck with the diesel
- When I see a +35' 5er
- When I see a Class A pull in, auto-level, electronically deploy the awning, and start relaxing in under 5 minutes
- When I get to the campground and see somebody's who's already been camping for a few days
- When I leave the campground and that same person gets to stay camping for a few more days
- When I watch a truck ease back to a 5er and get ready to hitch with no effort
It's really not that hard, but it wears on you.
2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab SB LS 6.0L 4x4 4.10 2005 Fleetwood Pioneer 180CK
DW, DD (born in May, 2007), and me
Burning non-fossil materials is OK; it is CO2 neutral. Wood, paper products, Beeswax candles, etc..... Alcohol lamps & stoves! (I wonder if there are mantle lamps that work on alcohol? - yes! widely used in Europe TITUS (Fr), MARLA(De).) Any vegetable oil, animal fats, etc. can be burned too - great for cooking & making big fires.
I emphasize burning because it involves a lot of energy & is the first thing many people think of when envisioning "camping" - the campfire is the center of "camping" for many.
Heat water on the fire, not with propane or electric. Use cold (cool) water for washing dishes, faces, etc. it works fine.
Solar is a good way to get power for your electronics. Store the solar power in a battery.
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