Protect

Nature

Now

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
Native American Proverb

A perspective

I recall a moment in Nepal over two decades ago, not in the middle of the Himalayas, it was near a small town and surrounded by beautiful nature. And I saw a lot of litter just near the path. And just after I asked why do they not clean this up, I thought well it is a challenge to feed the people, when you solved the most basic needs like food, clean water, health and housing you can afford to spend resources on establishing rubbish collection and establishing a system like you may know it from Europe. I still cannot understand why anyone would throw anything anywhere else than a bin. I was brought up that way and even as a teenager carried my gum paper, or anything really as long as it took to find a bin.

Fast forward to present-day Europe. Think Puglia, Sicily, Corfu—beautiful places marred by litter. Roadsides, trails, even pristine nature spots, tainted by waste and cigarette butts. It’s shocking every time.

I believe this is just thoughtlessness. I cannot believe any local or tourist intentionally diminishes the beauty of these places.

Change

Switch off the Autopilot
Change your mindset, leave places better than you find them
Prepare, and take small bags for your cigarettes, fruits, tissues, anything really
Spend time, support local nature conservation projects or organizations while visiting

How long does it take to decompose…

some items I have when out in nature walking, yes it is true

Up to 1 year

Some items do decompose quite fast but can still be harmful in the meantime

Apple Core, vegetables

1 to 10 years

I did not know tropical fruit peel takes so long outside the tropics

Orange or Banana peel, needs tropical climate for best decomposition
Non filter cigarette
Paper tissue, Newspaper
Chewing gum

10 to 100 years

It is not just the soil or water, think about animals and insects.

Orange or Banana peel, needs tropical climate for best decomposition
A very thin plastic bag, aluminum foil
Tin can (soda, beer etc) often even more than 100 depends on the materials used
Tetra Pak

100s to 1000s of years

While decomposing any item may keep contaminating the water, soil or wildlife

Plastic bottle, aluminium cans, most plastic bags, flip flops, shoes
Cigarette filters, vaping filters
Baby diapers, Styrofoam, metal chairs, tires,

Some concrete things you can do

Take your rubbish with you

Carry all your rubbish out with you—leave nothing behind. Plastic bottles collapse easily and weigh next to nothing, so there’s no excuse to leave them. They take hundreds of years to decompose, poisoning the soil along the way. Citrus peels take a long time to break down too—bring them back with you. If you can carry it out, you can carry it back. A small plastic bag is all you need, and they weigh almost nothing.

Take nothing

ake only memories and photos (or be a hero and take others’ rubbish too). Leave pebbles, shells, stones, or anything else where they belong.

Leave wildlife in peace

Watch, observe, and take as many photos as you like. Sure, there are exceptions like livestock. If sheep block your path or cows are on the bridge, wait a bit or walk around them. Remember, livestock are used to human contact, so it’s okay to move through them carefully.

Stay on the trail

Stay on the trail is something I also needed to work on and change my behavior. It avoids erosion and disturbance even if not immediatly visible. Think over the course of a week, a month or years. If you get lost you are lost, if you are not, stay on the path.

Call out your fellow humans or the Litterbugs

If you see someone littering, speak up. A polite “Excuse me, you dropped this” often works. Every single person I’ve approached has taken their trash back, and it makes them more conscious about their actions.

Keep your eyes open for local conservation projects

If you visit a place, look for a local nature protection organisation and donate time or money so they can keep going.

Resources and Inspiration

Here are some organizations you can support and read more about protecting nature. Please look for local organizations or projects you can support with time or money and have a local impact on your travels.

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