My husband and I departed on August 24th for eight weeks of travel through a swath of the American-Canadian Rockies. Our home was a 16-foot hard-sided a-line pop-up trailer. Vacationing sustainably was a priority from the first moments of trip planning, when we

connected dots on a map to see as many places as we could in one long tight loop. We visited nine places. Our farthest point was Banff National Park in Alberta. Most of the time, it was easy to live sustainably on the road but unfortunately, we couldn’t divert our food waste, and had to throw out some recyclables when no bins were available at campgrounds.

Because our small rig folds down, it minimizes wind resistance; it’s lightweight and we travelled at or slower than the speed limit to maximize fuel efficiency. We packed light and organized everything for easy access. We packed an e-bike in the truck. We have a solar panel on the top of it to run a large cooler stored under the cap, along with an inverter and equipment. Two additional bikes on the back of the a-liner allowed us to cycle around campgrounds and on park trails.

At campsites, we set out a solar panel with an extra extension cord to generate electricity for interior light, hot water, and heat. RVers should reconsider their use of noisy gas or propane generators—after all, they’re living in direct sunlight. Use that light whenever possible. We have no toilet or shower and made it a priority to have access to restrooms. We paid for timed showers.

We were nearly always in bear country. Wildlife managers have long prioritized educating people that feeding bears is bad for them. Messaging everywhere makes it impossible not to know that food and toiletries must always be secured and bear spray should be carried when hiking. You risk being reprimanded by staff or another visitor if you disregard these rules. Additionally, park staff may temporarily close areas where wildlife is roaming close by especially with their young or during breeding season.

A shout out to the clean, beautiful town of Banff for establishing an aggressive zero-waste program in a free-roaming wildlife habitat. There are easily-visible bear-proof recycling and food disposal stations throughout town for residents and visitors to use. Backyard composting is not allowed as it attracts wildlife. For information about this excellent program and personal tips go to banff.ca/154/Zero-Waste-Banff.

By Bev Harrison