By Claudia Guzmán

Living well

Socrates is considered the precursor of ethics because of his innumerable speeches about the virtue, that for him meant to know to do goog (this in a practical sense). That is, those who do evil do it because they do not know good. He related ethics with living a good life.

What is it associated with a good life? Having material possessions? Unlimited internet?

For Socrates, a good life had to do with the proper use of reason, with taking care of the soul (conscience), with seeking knowledge and doing good. Is this a current issue? Does it have any application? It most certainly does, perhaps in this time Socrates would relate living well with taking care of nature. Knowing about it would be the greatest virtue.

What does Socrates have to do with outdoor activities?

An example of how to bring ethics to everyday life is the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) founded by the mountaineer Paul Petzolt in 1965 in Lander, Wyoming, United States, with the aim of teaching outdoor life skills, practical conservation, and leadership. NOLS conducts a wide range of courses: hiking, mountaineering, sea and river kayaking, spelunking, horseback riding, rock climbing, skiing and sailing. They also promote the protection of wild areas through publications, scientific research and seminars specialized in techniques to minimize the impacts due to recreational use in natural areas.

In the early 1990s, the US Forest Service worked with NOLS to develop a science-based, minimal-impact, practical education training for non-motorized recreational activities. This is how the non-profit organization Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics began. This organization promotes the seven principles of Leave No Trace, which provide guidance to enjoy our natural world in a sustainable way.

The seven principles are:

1) Plan ahead and prepare.

2) Travel and camp on durable surfaces.

3) Dispose of waste properly.

4) Leave what you find.

5) Minimize campfire impacts.

6) Respect wildlife.

7) Be considerate of other visitors.

First generation of Leave No Trace trainers in Mexico

For the first time, the Leave No Trace trainers course was held in Mexico, in September 2018 in the Punta Mazo Nature Reserve. The course was taught by two excellent instructors: Mckenzie and Caio.

The group was formed by representatives of important nature reserves in the state: Felipe and Jesús, park rangers of the Sierra San Pedro Mártir National Park; Héctor, a native of El Rosario and Field Officer of the Valle Tranquilo Nature Reserve; Lamberto, professor at a local middle school in La Chorera; Johana, Panchito, Jahaziel and Natalia, middle school students, and inhabitants of La Chorera, a community near the Punta Mazo Nature Reserve, as well as representatives from the Department of Conservation and Communication of Terra Peninsular.

During two intensive days, the course demanded moments of introspection, teamwork, individual and collective learning from all participants. The course was aimed to learn the seven principles of Leave No Trace in a practical but conscious way. For example, to learn principle two “Prepare and camp on durable surfaces” the group had to undertake a trip to the site chosen to camp, observe and reflect why they considered it the best place, everyone had to give their point of view, listen, and the most difficult part: make a decision. What Socrates would call appropriate use of reason.

The greatest virtue

One of the objectives of the course was to generate a personal and team action plan based on environmental ethics. Personally, I can say that my intention is to bring expedition behavior to the different areas of my life. The group action plan will be interesting, each group in this course designed their plan thinking about improving their life, their family, their school, their community and their natural areas.

The Terra Peninsular team is committed to promoting and applying the seven principles in conservation projects; we are convinced that good living is related to the quality of our environment. Also, we will be a platform to continue replicating these courses in Baja California.

This article was published in the 2018 November issue of the Mediterranews magazine.