"Green" Camp Sites

Blue Sink in Ocala National Forest (Courtesy of Author)

Restroom/Shower Facility (Courtesy of ReserveAmerica)

During my Spring Break I went on a camping and four-wheeling trip with my boyfriend to Big Scrub Campground in Ocala National Forest. Typically, we go to Lake Delancy campground in Ocala but decided to try a new place for a change.

The Big Scrub campground is meant for both tent campers and RV campers. The site offers a few amenities such as picnic tables, actual flushing toilets, and even showers but the reason we went was for the access to the four-wheeling trails and to see Blue Sink. However, getting to my point, as an Urban Planner it is important to think about all types of sites and buildings, including those for recreational activities such as camping and four-wheeling. When I looked inside the restroom/shower facility I realized that the only windows present where the ones on the front facade (as pictured). There are no skylights in the building and the lights inside seemed to be running both day and night....Here's where my, "I'm-camping-but-yet-I'm-still-thinking-about-school-thought," came to me. Why aren't there any solar panels on the building to take advantage of the abundant sunlight and low-lighting needs of this recreational facility?

Cache Creek Solar Roof (Courtesy of Project Green A-Z)

I couldn't find any information about this for any of the campgrounds in Ocala National Forest. However, I did find a few interesting camping sites that incorporate sustainable ideas such as solar panels, natural ventilation, and limited impact to the environment, both plants and animals. No surprise, one of the solar-powered campground sites I found was in California. In the 1980's, the Cache Creek campground in Yolo County was generating all of its electricity needs from generators, costing nearly $15,000 a year to run. And, this wasn't even providing 24/7 electricity. So in 1985, the solar panels were installed and saved taxpayers nearly $13,000 (that number is probably much higher now).

Paperbark Camp (Courtesy of CNN Travel)

I found some other sustainable and glamorous camping ("glamping") sites while researching for more information. The article describes seven sites that are quite breath-taking while at the same time very sustainable. *Hint Hint, Future Vacation Possibilities?* Most of the sites described are in Africa and Australia. Some of the camping locations are even Word-Heritage sites. As mentioned previously, the sites use sustainable practices and technologies such as solar panels, monitoring waste water, providing eco-friendly shampoos/soaps, biodegradable products (Paperbark Camp), grey water treatment facilities, and even worm farms to deal with waste. Prices for these sustainable "glamping" sites starts at around $260 and goes as high as $2,070. So start saving your money now if you want to stay at any of these places.

After finding so many recreational camping places that are incorporating sustainable practices into their sites, I am hopeful that maybe in the near future Ocala will begin to do the same. Maybe I need to drop them a few hints in their suggestion boxes next time I'm there. If any of you know of any sustainable initiatives going on in the camping world, particularly in Florida, I would love to hear about them.