Over the past month or so, I’ve tried to pay close attention to the practices of climbers at various climbing locations in North Carolina, to see where people are being careless and leaving trash, waste, or engaging in other destructive practices. I personally think that if all the climbers who read this, pay careful attention to their practices this summer, they will not only leave the climbing area and areas clean, but will make it that much more enjoyable for all the other people that come to the area as well.

The things I noticed were:

1. Climbers never deliberately threw trash on the ground. However, a practice I saw often was stuffing wrappers from food into the top of a pack, and not zipping the pack and when it tipped over, the trash came out, never to be picked up. Same thing with people stuffing wrappers in their pockets. The trash fell out while climbing.
2. In the parking lot at the end of the day, while packing up cars and re-sorting gear, trash was often left behind.

These are the 2 thing I noticed most often. Just some helpful ways to pay close attention to our practices when we are out climbing in North Carolina (or anywhere else!).

On a side note, there’s a great article I read this morning called “Is ‘Smart’ the New ‘Green’?”. Check it out.