Ah, August! The flowers are in bloom, the birds are a-chirping... it's picnic season! Time to break out the checkered blanket and sandwich containers and head out for a meal outside.
I'm personally a big picnic fan. The bugs, the spilled Kool-Aid, the welt on my forehead from a missed frisbee catch... all part of the fun of summer.
To make your next picnic even more fun and eco-friendly, here are 10 tips for an eco-friendly picnic this summer. If you have your own tip to contribute, be sure to hit the 'Comments' link at the bottom of the post!
1. Get outside the city limits
Not all urban parks are littered with heroin needles and used condoms, but even the nicest parks can be subject to traffic noise and overcrowding which can make it a little difficult to appreciate the natural beauty around you. Instead, why not break out a map book or Google Earth and find a quiet park outside the city limits?
And if you're a family of two or three (or one!) consider ganging up with a few other people and carpooling together. You'll be saving fuel and cutting down of traffic congestion. Plus, if you go as a group you can really make a day of it! Pack a frisbee!
2. Have a picnic brunch
If you live in a particularly congested city you may want to consider leaving 2-3 hours earlier than you would if you were aiming to have a picnic lunch. You'll have less of a chance of hitting peak stop-and-go traffic, saving you time and fuel. You also have the side benefit of arriving at your picnic destination before it becomes crowded, giving you the chance to enjoy the morning birdsongs in peace.
3. Have a smokeless picnic
For some folks a picnic is all about charcoal, lighter fluid and scorched hot dogs. Burning all those fossil fuels is messy and unnnecessary. Save yourself the hassle and plan a cold lunch instead. Fresh veggies, sandwiches, sushi and salads are all great alternatives to chips and hot dogs. Besides, you're not going to do much walking around or exploring if you have to lug a hibachi around.
If you just have to have that grilled-dog flavor there is one trick you can try. Grill your favorite veggie dogs, ballpark franks or bratwursts on in a frying pan or stovetop grill. Yes, this is blasphesmous to hardcore bbq'ers, but cooking them on your gas or electic stovetop is much more efficient than using an open-air grill. Once cooked, stuff the weiners into an insulated container such as a drink thermos. Add a teaspoon of worcester sauce, a teaspoon of your favorite barbeque sauce, and half-fill the container with near-boiling water. When lunchtime rolls around your hot dogs will still be hot and have a smoky babeque flavor without the barbeque.
4. Recycle your recyclables
Cans, bottles, containers, paper. All recyclable items, right? Well then why do so many end up in trash cans when they could be put to better use? Make sure your recyclables go into a recycle bin or back into your picnic basket so you can recycle them at home.
5. Make your picnic basket reusable
Plastic forks, cardboard plates, paper napkins and Solo cups are picnic staples and those staples almost always end up in the trash. First: take note that many of those plastic cups and paper plates are recyclable so collect them and recycle them. Second: if your silverware is so precious you can't take it on a picnic then pick up up some cheap flatware at a dollar or thrift store. Lightweight plastic plates are cheap and readily available at your local big box store. Same goes for cups. Sure it's a pain to wash-up afterwards, but laziness isn't a good excuse for wastefulness, is it?
6. Be prepared to leave with more than you came with
"Pack it in, pack it out" is the mantra of hikers and picnic-people, but visit any public park and you'll find that many don't practice what they preach. Garbage and discarded recyclables such as cans and bottles are an eyesore and a waste. Even if your picnic area is fairly neat and tidy, you're bound to stumble upon some litter if your decide to explore some trails.
So instead of tolerating this pollution, do something about it! You're already bringing a picnic basket and possibly a backpack with you so why not bring two extra bags with you? One you can use for recyclables and the other for trash. Then instead of just complaining about the garbage polluting the park you can help clean it up. Many parks have proper trash bins and recycling drop boxes near their parking lots or public washrooms, and if your park doesn't you can bring the stuff home and add it to your own recycling.
I'm not saying you need to make it your personal mission to go clean every park you visit from top to bottom. But if you have the bags with you you can pick up a few things and I guarantee you'll feel great about doing it.
7. Don't hit the drive-thru on your way to the park
Ever seen this one before: an entire family unloads from their minivan to the picnic table carrying bags of burgers and buckets of chicken? If not then you either don't picnic enough or you don't live in the United States where fast food reigns supreme! Boo-yah! Every summer the garbage cans at parks are overflowing with doggie-doo bags and piles of fast food trash. And that's the stuff that makes it in the cans and isn't strewn all over the place.
Half the fun of having a picnic is preparing the food! If your idea of prepping a picnic involves heading to Boston Market and bringing $40 worth of stuff to a park you're totally missing out! Get creative and get the whole family involved. Remember: anyone can make a sandwich.
8. Break away from the table and activate your picnic!
Ever notice how it's hard to get people enthused about a 'hike'? A hike sounds like a lot of work. A picnic sounds like a lot of fun.
Instead of eating as soon as you arrive at your destination, plan to go for a walk first. You'll be surpised how much ground you can cover, especially when you have a tasty picnic waiting for you at the end of your journey.
Or better yet, plan a scenic spot to have your picnic at a midpoint in your hike... er I mean picnic. You'll double the amount of exercise you'll get plus you'll get to enjoy parts of the park that the people at the picnic tables might never see.
9. Be smart about the fancy wine n' cheese picnic
Picnics can be romantic and if you're a newlywed couple there's a good chance you received an elaborate woven picnic basket as a present complete with wine glasses, etc. This looks like a great idea in the store, but in real life you're not going to get very far lugging a big wicker box around. Stumbling from the car to closest picnic table doesn't make for a romantic atmosphere.
If you're planning a romantic little treat, bring a backpack instead. You'll be able to hike to a more scenic and secluded venue, plus the backpack will make it much easier to tote the empty (or part-empty) bottles of wine back with you for reuse or recycling. And instead of toting delicate wine glasses with you consider plastic water goblets instead. They're cheap, lightweight and nearly unbreakable.
10. Take your time
Eating outside is a time to turn off the cell phone and put away the video games. Especially if you have kids, this is a time to explore and learn a little. Take a stroll. Pick some flowers. Walk on ground that is (gasp) unpaved. Feel the sun on your face. Listen to the birds. Look for porcupines hiding in the trees. Throw a softball around.
The nice thing about picnics is that you don't need a strict schedule. If you're having a good time you can play frisbee 'till dusk and wait for the fireflies to come out. And for some reason everything just tastes better when you eat it outdoors...
11. Bonus tip!
There is this amazing thing available at your local grocery store that is seriously the greatest snack ever. Are you ready? It's called.... "fruit".
Before you groan at how obvious this one is let me say that I've seen the soccer moms with their vanloads of tots in the park and more often than not those kids are eating yogurt tubes, individually packaged cookies or snack bars as snacks. What's left are plastic wrappers that end up simply blowing away or littering the ground.
So here's an idea: bring apples or bananas instead. If you don't want to bring the cores and peels home with you that's totally okay! That stuff is completely biodegradable. You can toss it in the bushes and it will rot into the soil (and likely feed some bugs, birds or squirrels as well). So soccer moms: avoid the "Dunkaroos" and head to the produce section. It's a better choice all-around.
» Get out and play