What is sustainable outdoor sport?
As outdoor enthusiasts, we love nature. On foot, by bike or on skis, we prefer to be out and about in unspoiled landscapes and on nature-oriented trails. But the more the community grows, the more pressure we put on our adventure playground: Nature. Let's tackle it together and take responsibility! Here we give you an insight into how we can move step by step towards sustainable outdoor sports.
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is a complex issue in which many factors interact - ecological, economic and social. To achieve a more sustainable world, everyone must pull together, both individuals and policymakers. The UN defines a total of 17 goals for sustainable development:
Did you know that the 8.5 billion people on earth consume 74% more resources than the ecosystem can regenerate?
Intact and protected ecosystems are the basis for outdoor sports. While climate change, pollution, and mass tourism are endangering nature, at the same time the interest in sustainable hiking, biking, etc. is increasing. With a bigger community comes more responsibility - but we can also achieve more.
What you can do as an individual before, during, and after the route and how we support you:
Know the rules, follow the rules
To protect nature, there are already official rules that you must follow on tour. We support you by assisting you to inform yourself and prepare accordingly.
Certain areas should be left completely to nature, we don't need to go everywhere. So keep your distance from protected areas, respect the flora and fauna and always behave responsibly.
In cooperation with Digitize the Planet, you can find the specific rules of the protected areas in the Outdooractive Travel Guide and directly on the detail pages of the routes that run through the protected areas.
Find out more here:
Travel planning: What are you planning to do?
The first step to a sustainable route is planning ahead. Do you just want to take out your walking shoes or bike, or are you attracted to a specific destination? You can plan your trip accordingly. As a rule, you don't have to fly halfway around the world - hiking, biking and much more can be done wonderfully close by. And who knows, maybe you'll discover a whole new side of your home region!
As a rule of thumb, the further away your dream destination is, the longer you should stay there.
Before you go
Once you have decided on a destination, the next step is to make the trip sustainable. Find out in advance about the local conditions - are there sustainable options and what can you do yourself?
Fact: The 1.4 million members of the German Alpine Club travel about 13 billion kilometers per season by car. That's about 3,144 tons of CO2!
- Arrival: Plan your journey to be as short as possible. If you can't get to your destination on foot or by bike, public transportation is a better choice than your own car. Long car trips are probably the biggest factor standing in the way of sustainability in outdoor sports. Tourism hotspots are flooded with avalanches of cars, and nature and locals are the ones who suffer. At many hotspots, however, public transport connections are now better developed than you might think. And you can save yourself the long search for a parking space!
- Travel time: If you are not bound to certain vacation times, go on tour anti-cyclically and avoid the crowded roads during the high season.
- Sustainable sports: The choice of your favorite activity has a big impact on the sustainability of your trip. This is because the carbon footprint of your trip also includes the emissions from the infrastructure behind it. Example: On your winter vacation, skip the ski resort and go snowshoeing instead!
- Self-assessment: Not only for your own safety, but also to protect the environment. Behind an emergency rescue operation are a lot of resources that are anything but environmentally friendly. A tour can be challenging, but be realistic and don't put yourself, your fellow human beings and the environment in unnecessary danger.
Routes that are readily accessible by public transport should be recommended as such on the basis of set criteria.
During the Route
- Do not enter protected areas and always stay on marked trails. Follow local rules and regulations.
- Do not leave trash behind. This includes supposedly compostable and organic trash. Always carry a reusable garbage bag. If you also pick up other people's trash along the way, you're a star.
- Respect wildlife and grazing animals (distance and noise level), keep pasture gates closed, and don't pick flowers.
- Refreshments: Choose regional products! Instead of fries at the mountain hut, rather a mountain cheese bread - that avoids long transport routes and is more authentic anyway.
- Just switch off: You can also post your proof photos, google and text later. Unfortunately, the infrastructure behind web surfing is way ahead in terms of CO2 emissions. Use the offline function of the Outdooractive app so that no mobile data is required when navigating and looking at the map.
Access all route details and map sections at any time, anywhere, without the need for an internet connection.
After the route
- Disposing of garbage: Your garbage from the route or garbage that you have picked up is best disposed of at garbage separation stations. Does recycling not work as well in your vacation country as it does in your home country? Then it would be ideal to bring home trash from such countries.
- Dealing with social media: Keep your exact point of view to yourself when traveling in areas that are already struggling with over-tourism. You can share the approximate region in your pictures. Show your commitment to conservation openly and share your experiences and tips for sustainable outdoor sports!
Fact: A paper tissue takes 1-5 years to fully decompose. Cigarette butts 2-7 years, baby diapers 500-800 and plastic bottles 100-5000.
Equipment: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair
Fact: The textile industry emits 10% of global CO2 emissions.
Outdoor sports can be a real showcase at times. Everyone is always showing off the latest and most innovative equipment - a new outfit every season. Does that have to be the case?
Of course, many outdoor brands are now actively promoting sustainable production. This is already working very well in places, but should definitely become even more so.
- Even better than buying new sustainable products is not buying at all. You should use your equipment in such a way that it can be taken on a route more than just once. Carefully maintain your equipment, invest in timeless designs and quality, and repair what is broken.
- At bazaars and swap meets you can often find good used equipment that the previous owners have outgrown - such offers are ideal, especially for the next generation. This is not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet!
- You can also borrow hardware from the Alpine Club, sports stores, or friends and family. If you only use the equipment from time to time or want to go on a tour during your vacation, renting is a good idea.
Fact: Organic textiles make up only 0.87% of the market. 65% of the products are synthetic and made from petroleum.
Things to keep in mind when buying new: wool instead of synthetic fibers, as few environmentally harmful chemicals as possible (e.g. PFC in Gore-Tex) and snacks without plastic packaging - these and similar principles are probably familiar to most outdoor sports enthusiasts. When in doubt, eco-labels can help you find your way through the jungle of product names and technical terms. However, too much importance should not be attached to any seal of quality.
The most common seals:
- Bluesign
- Öko-Tex Standard 100
- Fair Wear Foundation
- Grüner Kopf
Inform yourself about the seals and question the information of the manufacturer. With so many seals, not all are equally reliable, which is why your attention and care as a consumer is required.
With all the marketing messages and greenwashing*, it's easy to lose track and trust. However, in the industry, it is often true that those who really care about environmental protection are not loud and make less of a fuss about their brand.
* designed to give the company a supposedly sustainable image without a sound basis.
Other luggage
In addition to clothing and hardwear, longer trips also require additional luggage that you can use with sustainability in mind.
For example, you can easily replace many conventional products:
- Use a solid, biodegradable bar of soap instead of shower gel and shampoo from a plastic bottle.
- Pro tip: Wrap the bar of soap in a cotton towel, then it can dry nicely
- Toothpaste tablets instead of from the tube: you can count them per day and they take up little space.
- Reusable lunch boxes, wax cloths or lunch bags instead of plastic packaging
- Reusable garbage bag instead of disposable garbage bag
- Reusable drink bottle (e.g. made of aluminum, possibly with water filter) instead of drink bottle from the supermarket.
- Classic cotton handkerchiefs instead of tissues.
- Portable hygienic shower instead of toilet paper (when camping)
Flights
Unfortunately, some places can only be reached by plane. If there is no alternative way to get there, here are a few things you can still consider.
- Direct flights: Airplanes emit the most exhaust fumes during takeoff and landing.
- Choose a flight that is likely to be full. Clearly not a luxury, but the fuller the plane, the less resources are wasted.
- Offset: If you want to offset the emissions, some organizations offer offsets. This is then used to support sustainable projects.
Disclaimer: Nobody's perfect
Sustainability is not a competition. And it's even less about making other people feel guilty. As outdoor enthusiasts, we are all inevitably part of the problem and bear responsibility. We must act to bring about the change we need. Even if our lifestyle, our habits and sometimes more expenses make it difficult for us to decide for sustainability - we owe it to nature and future generations.
Despite all the criticism and all the points you can get wrong when traveling, we are still drawn out into the world- celebrating how great it is. It's only when we're out there that we realize how worthy nature is of protection and what we're actually preserving with our sustainability efforts.
It's up to all of us to make a difference, so join us!