Outdoor Education…Character development through the outdoors

Environmental Care

Leave-No-Trace-New-Zealand-Seven-Principles-2013.pdf

How you can do your part when in the outdoors…

A long drop is the best place to visit, regardless of how unpleasant they seem at the time.
The Department on Conservation regularly maintains these facilities to prevent as little hazard to others as possible.
Other options may include digging a small shallow hole well away from waterways (50m) or possible campsites that others may use in the future.
If camping with a group, it is a good idea to mark a common toilet area well away from the campsite.

Wet wipes or if necessary soap and a pot of warm water can be used in the privacy of your tent.
Avoid using soap in waterways as this can harm the water life.

Simple, brush your teeth.
Spit away from camp and use your foot to rub it into the ground and suck the brush dry.
If you are using water it is best to use treated water.

All soaps, even biodegradable ones, can damage fresh water supplies, so keep soap use to a minimum whenever you visit the wilderness.

Always wash your hands after going to the toilet, before handling food and after handling any material that is likely to carry germs.
Hand sanitiser or wet wipes work well.
Keep your fingernails trimmed and clean and your fingers out of your mouth.

It is important to clean your dishes after each meal well as it is easier to clean freshly used dishes than ones that are left for a while and it also helps to keep a campsite tidy.
When cleaning and washing dishes, take them well away from any water source.
If using detergent, keep it to a minimum as excess detergent may affect the environment.
Water use should be kept to a minimum. This can be achieved by washing the cleanest pot or dish first then tipping the water from that dish or pot to the next.

Keep your lunch spot and campsite clean during every trip.
Think about things like the visual impact of your campsites to others and your auditory impact. A tidy campsite is a clean campsite.

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