By now, if you’ve been reading my posts for some time, you probably know as a family we, the Pratts, got addicted to camping. Recently, we were making plans to go on a weekend getaway and we wanted to do something different, so nothing was off the list of suggestions, including staying at a hotel for a change, but still after all the ideas were shared (yes, the boys had their say too) we decided to embark on yet another camping adventure with our RV. What was different this time, however, was the camping style itself, since my hubby and I decided to take our new passion for sustainability on the road with us too. The first thing we did was look for and acquire portable solar power panels because what speaks sustainability better than solar power?

Along with being easy to install and adjust, without worrying the weather can damage them, having solar panels meant we could broaden our travelling horizons as we no longer had to worry for connecting to the grid, we could stay off-grid and go to remote places, like the rainforest, where power isn’t available. You don’t have to worry about power even if you don’t have a battery installed because all you’d need to convert AC to DC would be switching power supplies to be able to power up 12V appliances.

For us, what started with portable solar power panels and clean renewable energy continued with reusable and recycling habits. Instead of bringing disposable plates, cups, utensils and napkins, we got reusable ones and washable cloths, so we managed to cut down the waste right away. Of course, we also paid attention to the choices we made regarding detergents and soaps, making sure they were all biodegradable, that is eco-friendly, safe from triclosan, phosphate and the chemicals alike.

Of course, this then led to picking body washes too, and what I love about natural products, especially those with essential oils like peppermint oil, is they can serve as repellents also. Noah had so many questions regarding the reusable and recycling subject, why we chose biodegradable instead of regular soaps and detergents, and what biodegradable actually meant. He got all excited about sorting the trash, learnt the lesson it’s never okay to litter in nature and why it’s important to pick up after himself, packing it in different bags then storing it for us to dump it away from nature once back home.

I’m happy to say it’s amazing to see such enthusiasm in a five-year-old and there’s a sense of pride I’m feeling knowing we’re raising sons who’d grow to be responsible eco-aware adults. Unlike the other times, we decided to take Uno along on this trip, but even though the kids were begging to keep him off the leash we knew he’d be much safer with it during all the walks. For a first-time sustainable camping experience, I have to say it went much better than expected since we all shared our eco responsibilities equally so I guess this is going to be the way we travel from now on.