“Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains bag the peaks run the rivers. Breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk bound men and women with their hearts in safe deposit boxes, and their eyes hypnotised by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will out live the bastards!”

-Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey’s writings have had a huge influence on my life. He always drove home the point to go outdoors, walk around, explore, and enjoy wilderness. Just last week I was following in his footsteps on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and many nights stayed up with my friend Doug talking about the impacts of humans (i.e. the two of us) on the environment. At the end of many late night discussions, we concluded that no matter what we do, we’re increasing entropy. We’re both engineers, so “increasing entropy” is our way of saying “speeding up the destruction of Earth.” Did our river trip increase entropy? Like Edward Abbey, we both love walking (and floating) around in the woods, but we don’t want it to add to the destruction of earth.

Many river runners think that by recycling and composting, they’re being environmentally friendly. I agree with my friend Will who says “Don’t try to be green on a river trip.” The vast majority of the environmental impact of the trip has nothing to do what happens on the actual trip.

Travel to and from rivers

Perhaps our biggest impact is the travel of us and our equipment to and from the rivers. The biggest violators are those that drive themselves and their raft (notice singular) hundreds of miles to float a river. Try renting your equipment locally: Try Canyon REO in the Grand Canyon, Blackadar Boating on the Idaho Rivers, and Rogue Wilderness on the Rogue. Transporting your equipment wastes fuel and requires you to travel with less efficient vehicles and with fewer people per vehicle. Fit your whole group in one or two cars and bring only what you need. Also, consider hitchhiking your shuttle or bringing some bikes to reduce your driving. Extra Credit: buy some carbon credits to offset your emissions.

The simple, obvious solution: live close to your favorite river.

Food

This is a big one because there tends to be a lot of food waste on trips. Do you really need 7 cheese lasagna, a candied walnut salad, and cheesecake? I know I do, but sometimes, consider something simple like spaghetti and grilled asparagus. You can also design smart menus that allow food to be reused for future meals. My favorite example is making chicken fajitas, followed by river eggs and curry chicken salad. There are always left over veggies that can be used for river eggs and chicken that can be reused in a tasty chicken salad with curry. If you love your beer (like we do), consider buying locally brewed kegs instead of bringing canned or bottled beer. Extra Credit: choose a menu based on foods grown in the area that you’re boating.

The simple, obvious solution: there is none, this will take some effort.

Equipment

We all have a lot of gear made all over the world and the transportation of those goods have a tremendous environmental impact. Buy river gear that’s made in the US. Sotar, Maravia, and AIRE all make boats in the Northwest. Sawyer Oars are made in Oregon. There are many small equipment manufacturers (including us) that make quality things close to you, but you’re going to have to pay a little more because American workers demand a higher wage. Also, take care of your gear and learn how to fix. I have a 20 year old stove that’s better than anything out there, but it takes a lot of maintenance. Extra Credit: only buy used gear.

Rant: Don’t buy things made in China. This means almost anything made by NRS. Boats made in China cost about $700 and dry bags less than $5. The quality is this equipment lower, but the warranties are longer because it is WAY cheaper to make things there. When you pay $20 for a dry bag, it’s easy to send you a warranty replacement when they only cost a few bucks each. This is much cheaper than repairing broken equipment, which is what we should be doing. Things made in China are essentially disposable. (Learn more about working conditions in China at http://www.hulu.com/watch/91553/vanguard-outsourcing-unemployment)

The simple, obvious solution: don’t buy gear made overseas.

Impact on the River Corridor

When we camp on a river, we have a considerable impact. Our food scraps change wildlife habitat and behavior, our use of firewood removes ground cover and wildlife habitat, our pollutants damage the water and the land, and our equipment brings in invasive species. There is no doubt that we impact the places we love. The managing agencies (BLM, USFS) have rules that help minimize these impacts and preserve the places we love. We can also choose to follow the Leave No Trace principles to minimize our impacts.

The simple, obvious solution: know the rules of the river you’re on and follow them.

To minimize your impact on the Earth you should stay home, turn the electricity off and grow a pesticide free garden.  Like Edward Abbey, I need to be in the wilderness, so I’m going to do it in the most responsible way I can.

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