Did you know that in the U.S. National Parks alone, over 100 million pounds of waste is generated annually? The Care for Colorado Coalition continues to confirm that trash is one of the top issues impacting Colorado’s outdoor resources, so this month’s messaging is focused on this important topic.
Please encourage your audiences to learn and share the Care for Colorado Leave No Trace “Trash the Trash,” principle which simply means to “pack it in and pack it out” with you. The impacts of trash can affect other people, water and wildlife, and many visitors or residents may not realize that waste takes a long time to decompose. Leave No Trace has provided a “Trash Timeline” below to educate yourself and others on the reality of trash decomposition.
Please share these resources with your audiences, along with the GOCO sponsored Trash the Trash video featured on the Care for Colorado Content Hub. Let’s protect the Colorado we all know and love and “leave it better than you found it” by practicing this principle. We also encourage everyone to get engaged in local Earth Day activities such as a trash clean-up. Happy National Arbor and Earth Day!
Yours in stewardship,
Tim Wolfe Dana Watts
Director Executive Director
Colorado Tourism Office Leave No Trace
Help Us Share the Care for Colorado Monthly Messaging
Resources from Colorado Tourism Office & Leave No Trace:
Colorado Tourism Office: 7 Care for Colorado Leave No Trace Principles
Colorado Tourism Office: Trash the Trash Video
Colorado Tourism Office: Trash the Trash Social Still
Colorado Tourism Office: Celebrate Earth Day Every Day in Colorado
Leave No Trace: Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave No Trace: Trash Timeline
Leave No Trace: Wildlife Poop vs Dog Poop Explained
Leave No Trace: Pet Waste Study
Leave No Trace: Waste In National Parks Study
Resources from Care for Colorado Coalition:
National Park Service: Don’t Be Trashy
CDOT: Sponsor A Highway
CMC: Recreation Impact Monitoring System
CPW: Wildlife and Trash Management
Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Earth Day Fishing Line and Shore Cleanup on Friday, April 19
National Park Service: Share your Earth Day experiences and favorite memories with parks using #EarthDay and #NationalParkWeek. National Park Week, April 16-23
BLM: Five Ideas to Celebrate Earth Day At Home
Earth Day 2022: Find events and ideas
US Forest Service: Anatomy of a Tree
#CareForColorado Social Media Posts
Share any of the “Trash the Trash”’ social media posts below to encourage and inspire visitors to Care for Colorado on all their adventures. Easily use one (or all) of these ready-to-go social posts, or create your own. Don’t forget to tag @VisitColorado and @LeaveNoTraceOrg.
- As more people head to our parks and open spaces, Colorado has seen a rise in litter. Help us #CareforColorado and #LeaveNoTrash by packing out everything you pack in ?. This includes food scraps ?, which take years to decompose and can be unhealthy for wildlife. @visitcolorado @LeaveNoTraceorg
- Let’s work together to keep our parks and public spaces clean. How many pieces of trash can you pick up on your next walk? Send us your photos and remember to tag #LeaveNoTrash and #CareforColorado. @visitcolorado @leavenotraceorg
- Pet ? is unsightly, but more importantly, harmful for wildlife and water sources. Pick up after your pets and pack out their waste to the nearest trash can ?️. Pro tip: Have your furry buddy carry their own pack so you don’t have to carry their waste. #CareforColorado #LeaveNoTrace @visitcolorado @leavenotraceorg
- When you “Trash the Trash” you are helping to protect not only the experience of other visitors, but the health of Colorado’s wildlife and water sources too. If we all do our part and pack out our trash, we can #CareforColorado and protect our outdoor spaces for generations to come! @visitcolorado @leavenotraceorg
Care for Colorado Coalition “Trash the Trash” Success Stories
Visit Wet Mountain Valley: Wet Mountain Valley features a full page for “Trash the Trash” with tips from the Care for Colorado: Trash the Trash page and a link back to the Care for Colorado Content Hub.
Royal Gorge Region: The “Trash the Trash” Principle is also featured prominently on a page in the Royal Gorge Region website with the Trash the Trash video and tips as well.
Care for Colorado Coalition News
- This April, Leave No Trace will once again be challenging folks to #LeaveNoTrash. Get outside pick up some trash, post it on social media and tag #LeaveNoTrash and @LeaveNoTraceOrg. Leave No Trace will be sending out social media toolkits for partner and member use.
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife is pleased to announce that they plan to return to an in-person event and host their Annual Partners in the Outdoors conference from April 18-20, 2022 at The Hythe, Vail. The conference is Colorado's foremost opportunity to cultivate common ground, explore best practices of partnering, and design collaborative solutions with diverse voices and stakeholders to conserve Colorado's outdoor heritage. More information and to register here >>
If you have any news or success stories that you would like to share in next month’s newsletter, please email careforcolorado@colorado.com
Care for Colorado Coalition
For questions on the Care for Colorado Coalition or if you would like to refer an organization, agency or business to be a Partner or Member, please email careforcolorado@colorado.com
To learn more about the Care for Colorado Program, check out our content hub on colorado.com or scan the QR Code below:
