A recent Mountain Prairie Council Girl Scout “Camp Faux” in the Boulder County Fairgrounds had everything you’d expect to find at an actual outdoor campground: marshmallows on sticks, tents, canoes, and sleeping bags. Just one thing was missing—waste. The organizers of the 350 person event went to every effort to precycle, recycle, reuse and compost all materials.
Talk about “pack it in, pack it out,” these girls learned how to live lightly on the planet not just when camping, but in everyday life. Metal pie tins served as reusable plates, a plastic vinegar bottle became a portable shower, bandanna napkins were wrapped around compostable cornstarch eating utensils, and mugs made from recycled plastic and denim were donated by Hard Copy Recycling for each girl. All decorations were borrowed, reused from previous events, or made by the girls to be used next year. Plastic water bottle containers, aluminum cans and newsprint tablecloths were all recycled.

Kudos to the Camp Faux committee and to the Scouts for making such a great effort for the environment. With so much success at this year’s event, there is no doubt that next year’s Camp Faux will be “Zero Waste…or darn near.”

 

Websites with more information on Zero Waste