The days are getting longer and the weekends are not as dreary and wet. Yippee, summers here and its time to take full advantage of that precious sunshine and what better way than a picnic, but eating in the open air does come with responsible and there is no reason why you can’t stay green with some eco-friendly ideas and enjoy the fresh air.
Perhaps the most difficult task in going for a picnic is finding the right spot and while we all want to avoid the crowds it is worth bearing in mind the impact each of us has when we visit the countryside.
Never leave gates open, the countryside is a working environment and is worth remembering that. Always check when entering a field that there are no animals there, not only do you not want to share your lunch with a wild bull or cow pats, if you have a dog remember to keep it on a lead as farm animals are easily frightened.
Never discard waste either, always take with you any rubbish. Plastic wrappers and polystyrene plates can be lethal to some wildlife and take years to biodegrade. There are now biodegradable picnic plates available. These eco-plates can simply be buried along with food scraps so you don’t have to trudge home with any rubbish at all.
There are other greet eco-friendly gift ideas for the great outdoors too. No picnic would be complete without a radio and with wind-up radios now being really sophisticated (some even have in built phone chargers) there is no need to frantically find a shop that sells batteries when you dust off the old transistor not when you have a simple hand crank radio.
And if you want to extend the day into twilight then solar lights and solar lanterns are available. These ‘moon jars’ charge up in the sunshine and provide a cosy light in the evening.
Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in eco-friendly products and innovations. Please contact us if you are interested in recycling, eco gifts ideas such as the eco plate or other great green innovations.
