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When I was little I used to love to go to camp. You sort of felt like an adult way before you actually were one. An adult with all the freedom and zero responsibility, the perfect combination. I went to field hockey and lacrosse camp, and I went to nature camp, I tried them all. Looking back I wonder if my parents were really trying to get rid of me. I liked nature camp the best because we got to stay in little cabins and play in the woods all day. But even if camps emphasize a connection with nature, they may not be fulfilling their end of the relationship. Choose a camp that not only instills a love for nature, but also works to tread lightly on the planet.
Camps with Great Green Values
Gwynn Valley
Gwynn Valley, located in Brevard, N.C., was green way before green was chic. In fact, for the past ten years they have been recycling paper, plastic, glass, and metal. These are just a few of the camp’s long list of green accolades. The camp uses high efficiency lighting in over half of its cabins. It installed water-saver shower heads that use only 2 gallons per minute, saving up to 40 percent in water and heated water usage and it has water saver toilets in most of the cabins and bathrooms. The camp uses compact fluorescent lights, grows approximately 70 percent of its food and raises its own beef. Seventy percent of the camp's hot water is heated with wood that is down or dead on the property.
Briar Bush's Eco-Kids in Action
At this one-week day camp for grades 2 to 3 in Philadelphia, naturalists take campers on field trips to wind farms, water treatment plants, and paper recycling centers. Activities, such as building a wind-powered model car, teach kids about renewable energy, water conservation, and waste reduction. What better way to put your kids on the front lines of green innovation?
Camp Dark Waters
This Quaker-based overnight camp in Medford, NJ, does its part to show kids the green way. It composts its kitchen waste and has switched from disposable plates and cups to reusable or compostable kitchenware. Its brochures are printed on recycled paper, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and use non-toxic soy-based inks.
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How to Go Green: Kids' Toys
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
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