Beyond "Leave No Trace"
What does parkour have to do with eliminating single-use plastics? Bear with me while I make my case...
Parkour is about practicing our relationship to our environment. Instead of seeing a city that cages us, we see our playground. We transform the way we see our environment.
It’s inevitable that the more we practice parkour, the more we are exposed to what happens in our environment - from the people we interact with outdoors (anything from noticing the security guards discouraging us from exercising our right to physical fitness, to dealings with homeless and those with mental health problems while we train, to dealing with cat calling and even personal safety on the streets) to the physical environment we train in (avoiding stepping on plants, or noticing which parts of the cement ledges are unstable or cracked) - it’s all noteworthy to a parkour practitioner.
I’d argue it becomes a pretty natural evolution for parkour practitioners to begin to explore the issues in our cities, just by how we are affected by them. While there are many issues in our cities that can feel overwhelming to tackle as an individual, we do our best to control what we can effect - such as how to have a healthy relationship with the physical environment where we train. A natural extension of this is the “leave no trace” value - which on a surface level, means to not damage the area you’re training in (I’ve even known practitioners who go beyond just avoiding damage, and proactively fix what’s broken where they train, guerilla-style repairing a wobbly rail for instance). Makes sense, you want to preserve your stomping grounds so you can train there day after day.
Another obvious aspect of “leave no trace” is not leaving ‘traces’ of damage on yourself. Taking care of your body day after day, too But, when you truly take the time to examine what it means to not damage yourself, you go down a rabbit hole of not only physical fitness, but also avoiding toxins and poisons. Living the value of leave no trace isn’t just for your training spots or your muscles.
It’s also how we live. Your environment is not just where you train parkour - it’s everywhere you go. It’s everything you interact with. My argument is that - as parkour practitioners, the obvious conclusion to become aware of the way your lifestyle leaves traces of damage to the planet. (Yea- that’s right, I’m arguing that parkour practice is the new hippy movement.)
So why plastic? I don’t think it’s any surprise to people that one-time use plastic is massively contributing to pollution. And while I strongly believe that to affect a real change it will need to be corporations that shift their habits more so than individuals, it’s also true that we influence corporations with how we vote with our dollar.
Especially in a time where our environment is so strongly affected by our choices of which corporations we support - I want to share what I’ve been using at home: here’s some fantastic alternatives to everyday household items, that are both sustainable for the environment, good for your health, and… often cheaper! (Even though they are things mailed to you, most of these are sent in bulk, so at least that somewhat cuts down the carbon footprint of e-commerce.)
Aggressively Organic is the easiest-to-use aquaponics system I’ve ever seen. Not only is their unique design built with cardboard, fits tightly together to use 1 sq ft of space to grow 9 plants, but it less water and you get 4-5 times more harvests. No toxins or chemicals sprayed on your plants grown in your own home, it literally saves you hundreds of dollars to grow your vegetables at home. Plus they provide you a grow-light with your first order.
Toilet paper, unless you’re a fan of bidets, is something we can’t avoid buying. “Who Gives A Crap” ships you bulk, 100% recycled toilet paper with no plastic casing - and incredibly cheap. It’s $48 for 48 rolls! Not to mention that FIFTY PERCENT of their proceeds goes to help build toilets for those in need (1 in 3 people in the world do not have toilet paper). Kind of a #yeahduh to buying from this company.
Though not technically 100% plastic free (they provide you a once in a lifetime plastic container and then send you refills - but you could just buy the refills and skip the container), you can get so many things from CleanCult! Hand soap, dish soap, surface cleaner, laundry detergent… it’s your one-stop-shop for household resources mailed to you.
How else do you design your habitat, and give back to your environment?
Post in the comments -
Other favorite sustainable disposable products?
What other ways do you apply “leave no trace” into your daily life?