Floors are a major component of many renovation projects: the right carpet, tile, or wood can brighten up a room and make it feel like home. But how do you decide on the safest choice for you and your family? To help make your next home renovation project a little easier, we’ve put together this guide to eco-friendly flooring.

Bio-Floor Natural Wool Rug

The problem: Carpets are a great way to keep your home feeling cozy and comfy, especially during the winter, but that extra warmth comes with a host of hidden dangers. Most important among these is the release of dangerous gasses known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The sealants used to install carpeting emit these toxic fumes, and many carpets are treated with stain protectants, fungicides, dyes, or other chemicals that will continue to release VOCs for years. Carpets can also be a real problems for people with allergies: pet dander, mold spores, and pollen get trapped in carpet fibers and then released every time you walk across them.

What to do instead: Despite its problems, there are lots of options available for keeping your carpet around. You can use a sealer on the carpet you already have to prevent it from releasing chemicals, or, if you’re installing new floors, look for carpets made from a natural fiber like wool that are free of stain proofing, harsh dyes, and other chemical additives. Also make sure that your installer is tacking the carpet down instead of using glue and that your home is well-ventilated for the installation. And no matter what kind of carpet you chose, keep it clean with a green carpet shampoo and regular steam cleaning to help control allergens.

The problem: Hardwood floors are a beautiful option for any room, but you’ll want to be careful about the environmental impact of all that oak, pine, or cherry. A lot of cheaper flooring will come from forests that have been clear-cut or farms that rely on environmentally damaging agriculture practices, and many of the chemicals required to install and maintain hardwood floors are a source of VOCs. For example, engineered wood floor boards are a composite of several layers of wood held together by an adhesive that may contain formaldehyde, and petroleum-derived waxes are frequently used to seal wood floors.

What to do instead: You can make sure your hardwood floors are eco-friendly by looking for a seal from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit that certifies all types of wood products. FSC products will come from sustainably managed forests that meet requirements for environmental, cultural, and economic responsibility; these floors will also be free of formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals. Wood flooring can also be reused, and reclaimed boards from old buildings make perfect eco-friendly flooring. Whatever option works best for you, when you’re having floors installed make sure to ask that they be laid down without dangerous adhesives and that they’re sealed with natural oils.

The problem: Laminate is a cheap, popular option for flooring, but like carpet is a dangerous source of indoor VOC exposure. It’s made from pressed wood, which is manufactured using formaldehyde, a VOC and known carcinogen, and it cannot be recycled or reused.

What to do instead: All-natural cork flooring is an attractive, easy, and safe alternative to laminate. Harvested from the outer layer of tree bark, cork is a softer and warmer than synthetic flooring options and can be produced with minimal environmental impact. Just make sure you’re not purchasing a cork-vinyl composite and that the tiles are laid using an eco-friendly adhesive.

The problem: Vinyl, like all plastics, is made from environmentally damaging petrochemicals, which makes it a big no-no for those looking for eco-friendly flooring. Like laminate it cannot be effectively recycled or reused, and it has the added disadvantage of releasing toxic dioxins and phthalates into the environment when not disposed of properly.

What to do instead:  If you’re looking for a green, easy way to do up your floors, consider using linoleum, which is made from natural materials like linseed oil, pine rosin, cork, and wood flour. It’s actually been around since the late 1800s, but has largely been replaced by plastic options (in fact, many vinyl flooring products are still referred to as linoleum, so make sure what you’re buying isn’t a plastic imitation). Because it’s waterproof, linoleum is great for kitchen and bathrooms, and it can also be recycled or composted at the end of its life.

If your family is anything like mine, it can be a real chore to get them to use even the most easily accessible recycling bin. Everyone from young kids to grandparents gets used to throwing soda bottles, jars, and wrappers into the nearest garbage can without thinking twice. But while this trash habit is hard to break, even your most stubborn family members can be prodded into recycling with these helpful hints.

Green Toys Recycling Truck

Nobody likes doing extra chores, and kids can be especially stubborn about things they don’t understand, so take the time to explain to your kids why recycling is important. You can play games to make it fun or bring them along to the recycling center so they can see how the recycling process gets started. When they understand where all their garbage goes they’ll think twice before chucking that soda bottle.

Put bins in handy spots to remind everyone to recycle. Get lots of junk mail? Put a container by the front door so those flyers and envelopes don’t even make it inside. Also try sticking a small bin in the bathroom to collect plastic bottles and making the kitchen recycling bin easier to reach than the garbage can: we keep our recycling bin within easy reach under the sink while the trash can is a few extra steps away in the pantry.

Kids (and sometimes moms and dads) love a little competition, so why not start a friendly household contest? Give everyone their own bin to fill or assign a captain for the week and see who can fill up their bin first. You can reward little ones with eco-friendly toys or trips to a local park. If the recycling centers near you pay cash for aluminum cans and glass, letting your kids keep the proceeds is a great way to reward them for their hard work.

Reusing products at home is another fun way to teach kids the importance of recycling. Save up paper towel rolls, glass jars, magazines, and newspapers for making jewelry, costumes, and other craft projects to show your kids how even the most everyday objects can find new life. You can also make recycling exciting by letting them decorate the bins: with an afternoon and little paint, kids can make a recycling bin they’ll be proud to use.

Composting isn’t just a good way cut down on household waste – it’s also the perfect lesson on what it means to recycle. Kids can watch their banana peels, sandwich crusts, and dinner leftovers transform into nutritious soil right before their eyes. And whether they like to play with worms or just want to dump their vegetables when you’re not looking, it’s easy for kids to find ways to help.

Hydropower – power generated using water’s downhill flow – is one of the most common alternatives to fossil fuels. But while hydropower boasts significant advantages over energy sources like oil and coal, it also creates some serious problems of its own.

Water has been used for power in almost every society since ancient times. The Egyptians harnessed the Nile for irrigation, and Romans used water-powered mills to grind grain. Today, we use a variety of methods to turn the power of water into electricity, with about 16% of global energy coming from hydroelectric sources.

Hydroelectric dams: Dams are what most of us think of when we hear about hydroelectric power. These giant walls of concrete back up rivers to form large, artificial lakes and then move the water through narrow channels to drive electric generators. The largest hydropower plants in the world are all conventional dams, including the Three Gorges Dam in China and the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington (the largest hydroelectric plant in the U.S.). The world’s largest dam – the Itaipu, which straddles Brazil and Paraguay – generated over 90,000 GWh in 2001: that’s enough to power over 10 million homes!

While hydroelectric dams are valued because they don’t rely on fossil fuels (and therefore produce no greenhouse gas emissions), they come with their own set of serious environmental problems. These dams work by stopping a river to create a reservoir, which is incredibly damaging to natural ecosystems. In addition to preventing the movement of wildlife up and down the river, dams remove the natural water supply to areas downstream while covering upstream areas with a brand-new lake. In short, the entire ecosystem surrounding the dam is reorganized, wreaking havoc on local plant and animal life. The Three Gorges Dam, for example, is situated in one of China’s most biodiverse areas and has negatively affected hundreds of species, from endangered river dolphins to migrating Siberian Cranes. It’s also common for large numbers of people to be moved to accommodate conventional hydroelectric dams.

Pumped storage: Water can also be used to store energy. Pumped storage facilities use low-cost, off-demand electricity to move water up to reservoirs, which can then be used to make electricity during peak demand periods. Pumped storage facilities are similar in design to conventional dams and create many of the same environmental problems.

Run-of-the-river: Run of the river power plants create energy in much the same way as conventional dams, but they don’t require the creation of a large, artificial reservoir. Instead, these facilities use the natural flow of a river to move water, which makes them much less damaging to the environment. However, it also means they can be disrupted by natural changes in a river’s activity due to seasonal droughts or heavy rainfall, so they are not as common as conventional dams.

Tidal and wave power: Because conventional hydroelectric dams can cause so many environmental problems, people have been looking for new ways to harness the power of water. One of these is tidal power, which uses the natural flow of water during tidal movement to generate electricity. Small tidal power stations have been in use since the 1960s, but the high cost and difficulty of finding suitable locations has slowed the development of the technology. Wave power operates in a similar fashion by using the force of waves to operate a turbine to create electricity. The technology is only in its experimental phase at the moment, but many hope it can prove a valuable alternative to not only fossil fuels but also conventional, and more damaging, hydroelectric dams.

Chances are that hydroelectric power plants don’t directly affect your home. It’s currently the most-used renewable power source, but still only about 7% of energy produced in the U.S. comes from hydropower. But no matter how you power your home, the environmental impact of hydroelectric dams is an issue that affects us all, and to live green it’s important to appreciate not only hydroelectricity’s role as an alternative to toxic fossil fuels but its problems as well.

Eco Hotel

Traveling doesn’t have to mean saying good-bye to your eco-friendly ways. In fact, a lot of what we do every day can continue on vacation: it’s easy to shut off taps, turn off the lights, and set your thermostat low no matter where you are. But while we can all strive to make our vacations eco-friendly by carrying our good habits with us, next time you’re planning a trip why not take the extra step and pick a hotel that supports your green ways. Eco-tourism and green vacations are a booming business, and hotels are among the many businesses that are looking to do good (and attract customers) by making becoming environmentally conscious. Unfortunately, though, there is little regulation of green claims, which can make it hard to find hotels that live up to their eco-friendly marketing. To help you know what to look for when you’re planning your next vacation, we’ve put together a list of the things every green hotel should have.

• Energy efficiency

The same efficiency measures you use at home or in the office will also work wonders in a hotel. Look for places that use compact fluorescent bulbs, motion sensor lights, and Energy Star rated appliances, or, even better, choose a hotel that relies on solar energy.

• Green waste management

Between paper products, breakfast buffets, and, of course, all those tiny bottles of shampoo, hotels generate a lot of waste. So when you’re trying to find the perfect green place to stay, look for hotels that recycle and compost instead of just dumping all that waste in the trash.

• Non-toxic cleaning supplies

Hotels room go through daily rounds of washing and scrubbing, so it’s no surprise that most hotels rely on cheap, dangerous bleaches, laundry detergents, and air fresheners to get the job done. In your search for green hotels, look for ones that have made the switch to non-toxic cleaners that are free of chemicals like VOCs and environmental pollutants like phosphates. It’s good for you, good for the environment, and good for the staff of the hotel who have to use those products every day.

• Community involvement

Ecotourism

Try to find hotels that engage with the local area through charity, buying locally, or by hiring local tour guides. It will help the community and give you a better vacation experience.

Using false marketing to attract environmentally-minded consumers – a process known as greenwashing – is an unfortunate side-effect of the rise in green businesses, so keep an eye out for hotels that make claims to eco-friendliness that they can’t back up.

• Linen cards

Those cards asking you to forgo laundry service for your sheets and towels might seem like a good idea (and we can always get behind saving water and energy), but that one little laminated card does not a green hotel make. It’s more gesture than substance, so look for places that advertise the real, substantive measures listed above.

• Carbon offsets

Carbon offsets programs, which allow companies to contribute money to environmental causes as a way to offset carbon use, can be a great way to green your vacation, but beware of hotels that outsource their green responsibilities. You’re better off with a hotel that puts in the time and money to improve their own building and grounds.

Many hotels advertise themselves as being green without backing up those claims, so look for places that list the specifics of their eco-friendly policies, and don’t be afraid to ask questions! Until there’s more regulation of green marketing it’s up to us as consumers to find and support truly green hotels.

While it might not be the most glamorous room in your home or office, there are still plenty of reasons to take the time to make your bathroom eco-friendly. Bathrooms are frequently home to an array of toxic products, use lots of energy, and account for the majority of home water use – in fact, the EPA estimates that toilets alone account for 27% of all the water used in the average home! So to help get you started fixing these and other problems, we’ve put together a list of ten ways to make your bathroom safe, efficient, and green.

Oxygenics TriSpa Fixed Showerhead

Chlorine is added to our water supply to help kill dangerous bacteria and other organisms, but it can create entirely new problems when it interacts with organic matter in your shower or sink. The resulting compounds – known as trihalomethanes (THMs) – are linked to cancers and liver and kidney damage. You can reduce your exposure to the hazardous effects of chlorine by installing a filtering showerhead.

A standard toilet will send anywhere from 3.5 to 7 gallons of water down the drain with every flush. Reduce all that waste by putting in a toilet dam: these easy-to-install plastic barriers go in your tank and will cut the amount of water used per flush in half.

Skip disposable cups and paper towels in favor of reusable options.

Hands Free Faucet Adapter

5. Turn off the water

Conserve water by installing a hands free shut-off or instant-off on your faucet that will stop the water when you’re brushing your teeth or soaping your hands. You can also put a small bucket in the sink to capture that unused water for watering plants or rinsing dishes.

A lot of us lather up in the shower without thinking about what goes into our soap, shaving cream, or shampoo (and those wordy labels certainly don’t help!), but in fact a lot of the products we use in the bathroom are stuffed full of dangerous ingredients. You can keep yourself safe and stop toxic chemicals from getting into the environment by switching to safe, eco-friendly shampoos and soaps made from natural cleansers.

While all the water that goes down our drains eventually ends up at the same place, not all that wastewater is the same. While water contaminated with feces or food (known as blackwater) needs to be carefully cleaned before it’s considered safe, most of the water that goes down our drains is so-called greywater, which contains dirt or soaps and requires far less treatment. You can capture and reuse greywater for toilet flushing or irrigation using an easy greywater system or with larger, professionally installed systems.

Save energy by keeping your hot water heater set below 120°.

Preserve Recycled Triple Blade Razor

Industrial cleaning products are a source of all kinds of dangerous chemicals, from the noxious VOCs in bleach to the environmentally damaging phosphates in detergents. You can keep your family and the environment safe by using green cleaning products made from citrus, enzymes, or oxygen.

It’s always good to complete the recycling circle by purchasing goods made from recycled materials. Look for bathroom staples like paper towels, razors, and toothbrushes made from reclaimed paper and plastic.

Today most of are familiar with vinegar only from cooking – we pickle vegetables in it, toss it in with poached eggs, or put oil and vinegar on our salads. But throughout most of history vinegar hasn’t just been kept in the kitchen. In fact, in the thousands of years it’s been around vinegar has been used for all sorts of things, from the everyday to the theatrical. It was a common beverage in ancient Rome while Hannibal is said to have used vinegar to break the rocks in the alps, and legends from the middle ages told of thieves who survived the plague by drinking red wine vinegar. Today vinegar isn’t usually called on for anything that dramatic, but it’s main ingredient, acetic acid, can still be put to use all around your home as a safe, natural alternative to toxic commercial chemicals.

While vinegars can come from an endless variety of sources (anything with sugar can be made into alcohol, and from there into vinegar), we recommend sticking with white vinegar for most of these easy recipes.

1. Keep a mixture of vinegar and water on hand in your kitchen to spray on counters to get rid of odors like onion and garlic.

2. Use it instead of tomato juice to get rid of skunk odor on unfortunate dogs and cats.

3. Soak your pets in a mixture of apple cider vinegar and warm water after a bath to calm skin infections and irritations.

4. Spray a mix of salt, vinegar, and an eco-friendly detergent on toxic weeds around your home (be careful though, this really will take out anything you use it on!).

5. A mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water is a great all-purpose cleaner for bathrooms and kitchens.

6. Use undiluted white vinegar to scrub away mold and mildew: studies show it’s as effective as antibacterials and bleach.

7. Soak glassware in diluted vinegar to get rid of the mineral deposits that cause those cloudy stains.

8. Spray vinegar on clothes to get out organic stains like sauces, blood, and dirt.

9. Apply straight vinegar on carpeting to help remove pet urine stains (you can also put down dry baking soda to get rid of lingering odors).

10. A few tablespoons of white vinegar in the laundry will boost your detergent’s cleaning power.

11. Use it to loosen sticky gum or peanut butter from carpet and clothing.

12. A  mixture of vinegar, water, and rubbing alcohol is a great alternative to toxic glass cleaners.

13. Soak stubborn decals or stickers with a vinegar-soaked cloth and they’ll peel right off.

14. Use vinegar to wash misplaced or leaky glue off of messy home repair projects.

15. Add a fragrant spice like cinnamon to a bowl of white vinegar and set it out to remove unpleasant smells from any room.

16. Add a few tablespoons of white vinegar to the water you use on azaleas – they love acidic soil.

17. Add two tablespoons of vinegar and one tablespoon of sugar to the water and your fresh cut flowers will perk up and last longer.

18. Spray vinegar on countertops and around cabinets to deter pests like ants and roaches.

19. Clean garden shears with vinegar to prevent the spread of plant infections.

20. Sooth bug bites and other skin irritations by dabbing them with vinegar.

Clean Green!

They’re supposed to keep our homes in tip-top shape, but many commercial cleaning products are really doing anything but. All those mysterious, colorful liquids that promise to wash out stains, degrease our ovens, or scrub away mold often contain dangerous chemicals that are doing more harm than good both in our homes and in the environment. Fortunately, there are lots of safe, eco-friendly ways to clean using things you already have around your home. Here are a few of the recipes I use to replace toxic store-bought cleaners.

Vinegar has been around for thousands of years, and is still one of your best options for a cheap and easy homemade cleaner. Acetic acid – the active component of vinegar – results from the break down of alcohol, and is a mild, natural acid that will remove mineral deposits like soap scum and will also kill bacteria and mold. One cup of white vinegar combined with 1 cup of water in a spray bottle can be used to remove grease, soap scum, and other stains on hard surfaces, upholstery, and carpets (just be sure to test a small area when using the mixture on fabrics to make sure the colors won’t run). Use undiluted vinegar to get rid of stubborn stains – it’ll work even better if you let the vinegar soak for 10 to 15 minutes then scrub with warm water.

We’ve all used baking soda to remove odors from fridges and drains, but did you know that it also makes a great scourer for stained sinks and showers? All you have to do is make a paste of baking soda and water, layer it on stains for anywhere from a few minutes to overnight, then scrub away. I use it on the bottom of the oven to get rid of burned-on food (just be sure you’ve rinsed everything good and clean before you use the oven again). You can also add baking soda to your laundry or dishwater to boost your detergent’s performance.

Make a mixture of 1 cup water, 1 cup rubbing alcohol, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar to spray on windows, tables, and mirrors – you’ll be left with a shiny, streak-free surface. For stubborn grime you can add 1 tablespoon of corn starch, but I find that alcohol and vinegar usually do the trick for me. Wipe off with newspaper for the best results.

One cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice or vinegar will keep your wood furniture looking new without the use of silicon oils or the risk of noxious VOCs. Just rub the mixture onto bookshelves, tables, and chairs with a soft cloth for a polished, dust-free look. Some people find using too much oil leaves a residue on the wood, so adjust the ratio to suit your needs, and also make sure to use food-grade oils that don’t have synthetic drying agents in them. You can also add other oils like lavender or coconut if you prefer them to a lemon scent.

We all know that recycling is important – it’s one of the best ways we have to conserve resources and to keep our environment clean. But how do we actually get new products out of all those old soda bottles, packing peanuts, and shopping bags?

Plastics are basically long chains of molecules all bound together into compounds called polymers. These polymers can come from a number of different sources, but right now almost all plastics are derived from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas (although new technology is being developed to build plastics from biological sources like corn). The molecules in these polymers can be arranged in lots of different ways, and each polymer creates a unique plastic with its own distinct properties. For example, the plastic HDPE (high density polyethylene) is commonly used to store reactive liquids like bleach and detergent while PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is used in construction because of its durability. The recycling symbol we’re all familiar with – a number surrounded by three arrows – is actually stamped on plastics to identify the type of polymer from which it’s made.

Recycle!

How do we recycle it? The recycling process starts with those numbers on the bottom of your packaging or milk carton – because mixed polymers can’t be reused, all waste must be sorted before the plastic can be processed. We can look at the identification numbers, but most recycling facilities use infrared or other types of scanners to quickly and efficiently sort plastics. Once the plastics are separated, they are shipped off to a larger facility where they will be cleaned, shredded, melted down, and then cooled into pellets of pure polymer (known, for some reason, as nurdles). These pellets are then used by manufacturers to make new products – that’s how the bottle you drop off at your local recycling center eventually gets turned into carpets, plates, toys, or other plastic products.

Sounds easy – so why don’t we recycle more?

The process sounds simple enough, but only a small amount of our annual plastic waste gets recycled. Of the 31 million tons of plastic thrown away in the U.S. in 2010, only 12% was recovered for recycling. A lot of the problem is getting people to recycle, but it’s also true that not all plastics can easily be recycled. Because each type of polymer has to be handled separately, it can be financially difficult for smaller recycling centers to accept and sort all plastics, and some polymers are more difficult to reuse than others. Right now there is a large market for recycled PET and HDPE (#1 and 2, respectively), which are the two easiest polymers to recycle, but fewer facilities exist to process harder-to-recycle plastics like polypropylene (#5).

Another problem with plastics is that the process of recycling degrades the polymers, which means that even when we put plastics in the green bin, those products don’t make their way back to us as bottles or food packaging. Instead, recycled plastic is used to make lesser quality products like textiles, car parts, and construction materials that are themselves not recyclable. For example, the main end product for recycled PET is carpets and textiles while shopping bags usually get turned into plastic lumber. This process, known as downcycling, means that eventually all plastics will reach a point where they can’t be recycled anymore and will end their lives in a landfill.

How can I help?

Recycling plastic starts at the local level, so the first step is to learn what kinds of plastics are accepted by the waste facilities in your area. Once you’re familiar with your city’s programs you can make sure all the plastic from your home or office is getting where it needs to be. You can also help by being a smart shopper: look for plastic products and packaging you know will be accepted for recycling in your area and support businesses that make products using reclaimed materials. Lastly, try to make recycling plastic easier for everyone by getting  involved with your community. Lobby for your city to accept all types of plastic and for bins to be available in public spaces like parks, schools, and shopping centers. After all, the recycling process can’t get started until you put all that plastic in the right bin.

Green Gardening

Spring is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start gearing up our gardens for warm weather. If you’re like me you’ll have a lot of work to do to turn your winter wasteland into a summer paradise, which makes this the perfect time to focus on greening your garden routine. Below are ten things you can do before the first seed goes in the ground to make sure your garden grows in safe and happy.

Prune back dead trees and shrubs and clean up leaves, branches, and dead grass that might block new growth. And make sure any yard waste you collect goes straight to the compost pile!

Put several inches of a natural mulch like straw or wood chips around perennials to reduce water loss, minimize temperature fluctuations in the soil, and keep out weeds. If you’re growing annuals you’ll want to wait on the mulch until you’ve transplanted the seedling to avoid smothering new growth.

Conserve water by setting up a rain barrel or collecting rinse water from the sinks and showers in your home. This way you’ll have plenty ready for when your new plants get thirsty and you won’t have to use the treated, energy-intensive water that comes from your taps.

Gardens are a great place to reuse things you might otherwise throw away. Egg cartons and plastic food containers are great for growing seedlings and you can save newspapers to use as mulch.

Compost makes the best fertilizer, so work on your bin or pile during the winter in order to have fresh compost ready when spring comes. Mix it into the soil in your garden before you plant to ensure your plants grow strong all season long or make a compost tea to get your lawn off on the right foot.

Instead of relying on toxic chemical pesticides try spraying a homemade mixture of soap, cayenne pepper, and water on plants to keep away hungry insects. Essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, and clove also make excellent insect repellants.

Use a vinegar-based natural disinfectant to clean pruning shears and other tools to prevent spreading infections.

Soaker hoses make watering easy and efficient by dripping water right onto the soil. If you lay them out in spring before you transplant and mulch it’ll be a breeze to keep everything hydrated once your garden takes off.

When you’re picking out seeds try to focus on species native to your area. Local shrubs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables will be adapted to the conditions in your yard making them better able to handle the soil chemistry, water levels, and local pests and diseases. They’ll also be less likely to cause problems for your local ecosystem if they escape your yard.

You can use scarecrows, netting, or an eager cat to scare birds away from your newly planted seeds. We hang reflective wind chimes around the garden – the flashing lights scare off even the bravest avian invaders.

Camp Green!

Whether you’re camping in the woods, swimming in the ocean, or just hanging out at your local park, appreciating the great outdoors is one of the best parts of living green. Unfortunately, though, even when we have the best of intentions, all those visitors can leave Mother Nature a little worse for wear. But while it’s nearly impossible to take advantage of your favorite fishing spot, hiking trail, or National Park without leaving a mark, there are still plenty of ways you can limit any damage you might cause. The phrase “take only pictures, leave only footprints” is meant to embody this idea of enjoying the outdoors while minimizing your environmental impact, but what does that saying really mean?

Looking at a shell out on the beach, it’s easy to imagine how beautiful it would look all cleaned up and polished on your desk or bookshelf. But next time you consider picking up that seashell, take a second to imagine how empty the beach would look if everybody took home a natural knickknack. The U.S. National Parks get almost 300 million visitors a year – if we all collected souvenirs, that would add up to a whole lot of missing flowers, rocks, and shells. Everything in nature has a role to play – the flowers you pick provide the seeds for new generations of plants, shells on the beach eventually break down into much-needed minerals like calcium, and rocks help stabilize soil. When you take something from the outdoors you’re bound to upset this delicate balancing act, so feel free to enjoy the scenery while you’re there, but take only pictures and leave the rest behind.

We’ve all seen beautiful scenery soured by the trash other people leave behind, but all those plastic bottles, food wrappers, and wisps of toilet paper are doing more than just messing up your photos. That waste has a real, negative impact on natural systems: among other things it can leach pollutants into the soil and water, choke animals, and clog up waterways. To help avoid these types of environmental problems, always make sure to bring trash bags and pack out everything you bring in so it can be disposed of properly. And don’t just stop with your own trash – your goal should be to leave every campsite and hiking trail you visit looking better than when you got there.

Don’t disturb natural habitats

Stay on the trail

Leaving forests and waterways the way you found them doesn’t just mean picking up all your trash; it also means you should make every effort not to interfere with the natural world around you. Parks and other natural areas are for more than just our enjoyment: these undisturbed spaces are meant to conserve and protect plant and animal species, and in order to accomplish that goal it’s important for all of us respect the boundaries that parks set up. This includes maintaining a respectful distance from wildlife and staying on marked paths. It might not seem like a big deal to wonder a few steps away from a hiking trail, but when you add up the thousands of steps taken on those paths every year you end up with miles of eroded trails and destroyed plant life. You wouldn’t want someone to come in and disturb your home, so why would you go out and trash the outdoors?