When we decided to travel in a tiny trailer full-time, one of our biggest motivations was the opportunity to spend more time in nature. Our earth is a beautiful place with a bounty of sights, but among my favorites are National Park lands. I love seeing sky scraping mountains, grassy plains lush with wildlife, and everything in-between.
When we’re not in nature, we’re usually swinging by a nearby town to pick up groceries or take in the local sights. There are so many amazing towns in the US with their own culture, history and people; many of which are suffering from hard times in their economy right now.
Living in an RV can provide you with a deep appreciation for our planet, and the unique people that inhabit it. In all of your many travels, there are things you can do to leave a positive impact everywhere you go.
IF YOU SEE IT, CLEAN IT
How many times have you driven down the road and spotted garbage thrown carelessly out of someone’s window? How about when you’re walking a nature trail and it’s littered with beer cans?
Instead of shaking your head in dismay and leaving the scene of the crime, take it as an opportunity to be the difference. Always keep some garbage bags and a good pair of gloves handy in your vehicle, backpack and RV so you can easily make a big change everywhere you go. All it takes is a few minutes and a can-do attitude.
Sustainable Products
In an RV lifestyle, you only have so much room for all of your effects. Since you’re already living the life of a minimalist, you may as well take the opportunity to further reduce your clutter and waste by implementing some sustainable products in your RV. Here’s just a few we use to give you some inspiration. This post is not sponsored by any of these listed brands.
Dr. Bronner’s Soap
Despite the crazy packaging, Dr. Bronner’s soap is the king when it comes to minimalism and sustainability. It can be used as body soap, shampoo, dog wash, laundry detergent, shaving liquid, veggie wash, household cleaner and so much more. It has wholesome ingredients and the plastic bottle is 100% recyclable. Dr. Bronner’s is the only soap we keep in our RV for any of those aforementioned purposes, which helps us save space while also helping the environment.
DIVACUP
Did you know that tampons, pads and panty liners create 200,000 metric tons of waste every year and some of the parts and packaging can take anywhere between 500-800 years to fully decompose?
I’m a huge advocate for DivaCup for a laundry list of reasons, but they’re particularly relevant in this conversation about avoiding unnecessary waste on the road. Just like my mention of Dr. Bronner’s soap, they also help you save space; no more clunky tampon boxes in your little RV cabinet.
LIFESTRAW
There are many ways to conserve water usage while living in an RV. One of my favorites is keeping a LifeStraw Water Bottle in our RV or on my person at all times.
You never know what the quality of water will be like at your next campsite. While a lot of people circumvent this issue by purchasing single-use plastic water bottles, you can rise above and still feel good about what you’re drinking with your own on-the-go filtration bottle.
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS EVERYWHERE
When you’re on the road, it can feel tempting to swing into the nearest Wal-Mart to re-up on your supplies. What if instead, you swung into that quaint, family-owned corner store to see what you can find?
Avoid the big box stores and support local businesses everywhere you go; even though you’re not a local! Not only does it help that area’s economy, but you may be surprised by some of the deals you can snatch.
Did I mention restaurants, too? Take a few extra minutes on Google Maps to find the town’s local gem instead of another predictable experience at McDonald’s. Eating at locally owned restaurants returns almost 79% of revenue to their community, compared to just over 30% when you eat at a chain restaurant. (civiceconomics.com)
Staying in Town? Use Public Transport
Like most all methods of transportation, driving an RV around everywhere does have it’s impact. One way you can challenge this is to take advantage of public transportation wherever you’ve decided to bed down for the day. Choosing to use an area’s public transportation to get to-and-fro can reduce CO2 emissions by 45%.
Even better than that; keep a bike strapped to your camper for another great option to reduce your footprint and avoid taking the bus or subway. You can stay in shape, too!
Just Say “No” To Fast Fashion
Focusing again on the topic minimalism; why would you want an RV full of cheap clothes that take up space, when you can have a few well made pieces that last for years? Taking the time to thoughtfully build your wardrobe doesn’t only reduce space in your RV, but it also reduces the negative effects of fast fashion.
There are hundreds of reasons why the fast fashion industry is killing our environment. It generates tons of toxic chemicals, misuses millions of liters of water, puts plastics in the ocean, and so many more atrocities. Don’t even get me started on how fast fashion companies treat their workers.
Instead of supporting cruel businesses like Shein, choose to invest in a small and thoughtful wardrobe that you love and can feel good about.
Leave No Trace
Leave your campsite better than you found it. Anytime you arrive at a new campsite, scour the ground for litter left from previous campers. Ensure that you do a thorough check for your own waste before you get ready to drive on to the next site. Even if you think you didn’t leave anything, mistakes happen and taking the time to double check is key.
Mind Where You Park
Only park at established camping spots. If you’re like us, you may boondock a lot in your RV. Boondocking is a great option for RV living, but parking right on top of untouched natural areas contributes to the destruction of that ecosystem. Choose to park where you can clearly see that someone has parked before you to reduce your footprint.
Insulate your RV
Curb those hot summer days and cold winter nights by well insulating your RV. Not only will it keep you more comfortable, it can cut into your need for propane, electricity and gas, which benefits the environment (and cuts costs).
Even if you have a 4-season RV, there are things you can do to upgrade your insulation. Insulate the underbelly with foam or fiberglass, or make DIY thermal window covers out of Reflectix.
Use Renewable Energy
Solar panels are one way to avoid the emissions put off by generators, which helps the environment. They’re a very popular option for creating energy on the road. While less common, there’s even the option of using wind turbines for your RV. Do some research on renewable energy sources to see what may be a good fit for you.
If you’re not interested in switching to a full solar set-up, you can implement smaller solar panel products to use your power supply less frequently. Take a look into solar powered battery banks and solar powered flashlights for ways you can curb your emissions on a smaller scale.
Conserve Water
Living in an RV; especially boondocking, can give you a unique appreciation for water conservation. My husband, my dog and I go through 11 gallons of water per day on average. That’s just over 3.5 gallons each per-day (when divided up equally between the three of us). On average, the standard person living in the US uses a stunning 101.5 gallons of water per day. Not to toot our own horns; but that’s a pretty huge difference, wouldn’t you say?
The more you practice curbing your water usage, the more shocked you’ll be by how much you can save without majorly altering your lifestyle.
Volunteer Where You Go
There are a lot of opportunities to volunteer your time to worthy causes on the road. Give some of your time to help people in need or help the environment with some worthy causes that use RVers to their benefit.
One of these groups is Habitat for Humanity’s RV Care-A-Vanners. They use RVers to help build homes for people in need with two week building projects; no experience necessary. They also have a disaster rebuild team that you can work up to joining. They currently work out of the US and Canada.
Check out RV Care-A-Vanners and the amazing work they do here.
Mary Hill
I’m Mary Hill, the creator of Old South Paw. My husband, Matthew and I moved into a 13ft Scamp Trailer with our dog, Koda in March 2023. I am still on the road with my tiny family today and happy to share my experiences with you.