You’re out on a trail. Being the well-prepared hiker you are, you’ve packed plenty of water, and a lunch. Midday sun glares down, and shade — and your stomach — beckon. You stop and get out your sandwich in a baggy, chips, banana, oranges, and a plastic bottle of water.
No trash can. So, being the conscientious, eco-friendly hiker you are, you’re gonna keep your bottle, chip bag and baggy. But the fruit peels? They’ll biodegrade, right? You can toss them beside the trail, right?
*AIRHORN* — not exactly!
Many people assume it’s okay to leave “natural” food waste on trails or in parks, but it’s still waste. Discarded banana and orange peels are unsightly, and take years to degrade, particularly in Southern California’s dry climate. They are also alien items in the ecosystem, unfamiliar and harmful to our local wildlife, because our food scraps alter their natural behaviors, habituating them to humans and exposing them to predators and other dangers.
So if you see someone engaged in organic littering, what can you do?
We’re all familiar with the authority of the law. But there is also what is known as the authority of the resource, meaning we observe the higher impulse of keeping Nature pristine, because it’s nature.
Dr. George N. Wallace’s Authority of the Resource (PDF) describes a simple and kindhearted approach to educating others — friends and strangers alike — on reducing their impact on the wilderness, that can empower you to take action if you notice someone leaving their fruit peels behind, or behaving in some other manner at odds with the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace. Consider taking this approach to help spread awareness among other trail users about how we’re all affected by the condition of our environment, in ways perhaps less direct but more powerful than a simple ticket.
The checklist below, provided by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, sums up Wallace’s method:
1. Give the person the benefit of the doubt.
It could have been someone else that caused the impact. People will be more responsive to you if you show them consideration and tact.
2. Build rapport with the person that you are approaching.
Get to know the person. They may be new to traveling and camping outdoors and do not have experience minimizing their impact.
3. Stand side by side.
Never confront someone eye to eye. Stand off to the side so the problem is out in front of both of you.
4. Educate.
Teach people the reason why their impacts affect the environment.
5. Give an alternative.
Lastly, try and provide them with an alternative, like taking pictures of an antler shed versus taking it out of the environment.
