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8 Outings that Aren’t Taxing on the Environment

By December 29, 2016January 23rd, 2017News

Wine tasting at a local, sustainable winery: Support a local business and learn about green agriculture! This outing is a great way to spice up any road trip or to just get away for a day. Go with friends, family, or a significant other and take some time to smell the grapes. Some wineries will even host small parties for you.

Go on a hike and pack a picnic: There’s no better way to experience and appreciate nature than to spend a day surrounded by it! Pack a lunch and take it to go! You don’t need to go far to get exercise. Look up nearby parks or trails and don’t forget the sunscreen.

Take a Class: There are classes in eco-friendly paper-making or sustainable cooking class now. This is a great outing do to with a date, or friends. Fun and educational!

Hit the Farmers’ Market: There’s nothing like being able to pick out your produce and know that you are helping support local farmers. Farmers’ Markets are very popular, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one close by. If you have a big family, consider joining a CSA that has weekly produce pick-ups.

Visit a Museum: Taking a trip to a museum is an excellent way to spend the day! If the weather isn’t nice enough to be outside, take the kids to a museum. There are so many different kinds of museums—history, art, botanical gardens—and a lot of them are free.

Play Tourist in Your City: Have you really taken advantage of everything your town has to offer? Leave the car in the driveway and explore where you live. I have a long list of places I want to visit where I live. The Botanical Gardens in D.C. or the Dragon Run Kayak tours are next on my list.

Stargazing: Laying out and admiring the stars is a wonderful ending to a day and the best part is that there is no pollution involved! Just you and your blanket and a clear sky. If you’re ambitious: make it a nighttime picnic or try to name all the constellations. Leave your phones at home and make an effort to really unplug.

Urban Gardens: If you live in or near a large city then there’s a garden that needs help! Large cities have community gardens that are always looking for volunteers. Grab your friends, your gardening gloves, and your rake and spend a day helping out. It’s a rewarding way to help the environment and socialize at the same time.

Marie Paterson is an intern at the Chesapeake Bay Trust in the Development and Communications Department and a junior at UMBC majoring in Psychology and Media and Communications.

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