Pollution because of geocaching

[+torkel72]

Hello!

 

I don't own a car, and don't know if I would become addicted to driving around and finding as many as possible if I did. This is just my thoughts on all the pollution geocaching generates. How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate, but I'm sure the atmosphere could do without!

Edited November 2, 2015 by Greenadventure

[+ChileHead]

I'm more concerned with people going out every day to buy groceries.

[+captnemo]

Please turn off all of your electric devices and lights as the atmosphere can do without the pollution from fossil energy.

[+torkel72]

LOL! One bad thing doesn't make another right.

[+L0ne.R]

Hello!

 

I don't own a car, and don't know if I would become addicted to driving around and finding as many as possible if I did. This is just my thoughts on all the pollution geocaching generates. How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate, but I'm sure the atmosphere could do without!

 

I commend you for geocaching for 5 years and 200 cache finds without driving. How did you manage it?

[+torkel72]

Public transport isn't totally green no, and I have to admit that some caches have been found by car.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Greenadventure

[+jenny08_1015]

I would say a fraction of a percentage of the daily pollution. There are some offsets when Geocachers help beautify areas by picking up trash at CITOs and elsewhere. You could probably make an event to plant trees to further offset.

[+Bubbles&Bonkers]

Hello!

 

I don't own a car, and don't know if I would become addicted to driving around and finding as many as possible if I did. This is just my thoughts on all the pollution geocaching generates. How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate, but I'm sure the atmosphere could do without!

 

How do you get around to caches and events and such?

Maybe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

I almost blew diet Coke out my nose reading this post. Never have I worried about this in my life.

[+Bubbles&Bonkers]

I would say a fraction of a percentage of the daily pollution. There are some offsets when Geocachers help beautify areas by picking up trash at CITOs and elsewhere. You could probably make an event to plant trees to further offset.

 

I was going to say the benefits might outweigh the negatives.

[+torkel72]

How do you get around to caches and events and such?

Maybe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

I almost blew diet Coke out my nose reading this post. Never have I worried about this in my life.

 

LOL, that isn't very pleasant! Mostly by bus, but I'm lucky to have many forest caches in walking distance.

 

I was going to say the benefits might outweigh the negatives.

 

Which benefits? The invidual benefit?

Edited November 2, 2015 by Greenadventure

[+redsox_mark]

My dime store philosophy:

 

Us humans use resources and pollute for things which are "essential" (e.g. heat to keep us warm) as well as for entertainment. Entertainment could be going to the theatre, driving a motor powered boat, flying somewhere for vacation, or a driving somewhere to geocache.

 

One can take the view that using any resources for entertainment is bad as it is causing harm to the environment which can be avoided. But it would reduce the quality of human life.

[RuideAlmeida]

Which benefits? The invidual benefit?

 

Imagine this...

 

You and some other good guys, drove for some miles to Attend a CITO on a polluted place, that some hours after looks way better and clean.

 

It's enough for your carbon footprint?

 

By the way... you (as us all) can CITO in every cache you look for.

[+torkel72]

Which benefits? The invidual benefit?

 

Imagine this...

 

You and some other good guys, drove for some miles to Attend a CITO on a polluted place, that some hours after looks way better and clean.

 

It's enough for your carbon footprint?

 

By the way... you (as us all) can CITO in every cache you look for.

 

The footprint thing is all wrong I think. Trash doesn't evaporate as far as I know of.

[+kunarion]

How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate

Not only that, but I've heard that there are people who start a new thread instead of recycling one of the many others.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=66302

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=122249

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=281964

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=78059

Edited November 2, 2015 by kunarion

[+Zepp914]

The bigger problem is geocachers and hikers spreading the seeds of invasive plants. In Maryland you will know you are near GZ by the presence of wavy leaf basket grass.

 

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Plants_Wildlife/WLBG/index.asp

[+niraD]

Trash doesn't evaporate as far as I know of.

Nope. That's why many of us pick trash up and carry it out when we're geocaching (CITO).

[RuideAlmeida]

Trash doesn't evaporate as far as I know of.

 

Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed - Antoine Lavoisier

[+T.D.M.22]

And what about all the energy used to make the device you used to access this website? And the sites servers? And the synthetic chair your sitting on, while wearing synthetic clothing, that you drive home from the store, with the clothes in a plastic bag, that had plastic hangers on them in the store, that uses electricity (that may not be green) to keep cool, and burns natural gas to keep warm? What about the trucks, trains, boats that burn fuel to get that shirt from the pace of manufacture to the store?

 

As you can see, literally everything you somehow negatively affects the environment. Geocachers are just a tiny drop on the ocean. There's many more activities that are worse. People who drive to go camping, hiking, rock climbing. People driving to work. I'll even bet more people drive to the bar than for geocaching. What about all those big sports teams? Buses and airplanes.

 

So stop trying to make yourself look good, and others look bad and go back to to your PETA meeting. Isn't it about time to boycott Walmart because they sell beef?

[+Viajero Perdido]

If this game didn't exist, we'd all be doing something else. And I'm sure that something else would involve driving, consuming resources. Who's to say this game makes us consume more than we would've otherwise?

 

You're not giving ME a guilt trip.

 

BTW, much of my favorite caching has been via foot, bicycle, bus, and/or metro.

[+Bubbles&Bonkers]

How do you get around to caches and events and such?

Maybe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

I almost blew diet Coke out my nose reading this post. Never have I worried about this in my life.

 

LOL, that isn't very pleasant! Mostly by bus, but I'm lucky to have many forest caches in walking distance.

 

I was going to say the benefits might outweigh the negatives.

 

Which benefits? The invidual benefit?

 

You ARE lucky! How near are they? I live near the Mississippi River, but I'd still have quite a walk to get to most of them. I think busses emit CO2 I live near a large downtown with not many caches and my own 'hood is comprised of mostly puzzle caches, which I'm TERRIBLE at.

 

It's probably mostly individual benefits. It's my main source of physical activity. I'd be sad and fatter without it. I get to hang out with my husband in cool parks. We do pay to get into some of them - benefits the parks department. As PPs have said, we CITO when we remember to bring a bag. Fresh air, pretty places, unique experiences, went to an event and met new people this weekend. I'd be sad without all that.

 

I try to limit my carbon footprint in other ways: compost, recycle, no lighter fluid ya de ya de ya da.

[+Wacka]

I'd be worried about the big greenies contributing to pollution. How many private jets are at Al Gore and the "green" celebs talking to their conferences at places that no one except the top 0.001% can afford?

[+wmpastor]

Hello!

 

I don't own a car, and don't know if I would become addicted to driving around and finding as many as possible if I did. This is just my thoughts on all the pollution geocaching generates. How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate, but I'm sure the atmosphere could do without!

 

I commend you for geocaching for 5 years and 200 cache finds without driving. How did you manage it?

 

The OP never said to avoid *all* driving.

 

The solution is to find caches near where you are, or combine cache drives with other errands when possible.

 

I read the OP as calling into question the practices of high numbers cachers, and I too would like to hear their defense.

[+wmpastor]

How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate

Not only that, but I've heard that there are people who start a new thread instead of recycling one of the many others.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=66302

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=122249

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=281964

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=78059

 

The OP's question brings fresh insights. Recycle old threads?? I was *instructed by a moderator* to start a new one instead!

[+K13]

I posit that the pollution because of geocaching is fully attributed to the geolitter left by inattentive cache owners. Those who are driving to find caches would be driving to do some other hobby.

The high numbers cachers, when on a multi-hundred cache day are creating less pollution than those who run out and find a cache-a-day for their streak.

If you are waiting for a response from High-Numbers cachers, you will likely see a response from that Yucky guy or a fool-with-4-tires first. The real high numbers cachers are seldom, if ever, in the fora. They are too busy enjoying their activity of choice.

[+kunarion]

Recycle old threads?? I was *instructed by a moderator* to start a new one instead!

Cool, that's why I love the moderators!

[+bflentje]

Sorry the OP drank the Koolaide. Global Climate Change is a fact. It's been happening since the dawn of time and will continue to happen to the end of days. Blaming mankind for climate change is the biggest scam ever perpetrated in history.

 

Besides, if GCC is caused by man, then you'll be better served by taking your argument to China and India and other 3rd and 2nd world nations. The United States has never been cleaner (since prior to the industrial revolution that is).

[+wmpastor]

Sorry the OP drank the Koolaide. Global Climate Change is a fact. It's been happening since the dawn of time and will continue to happen to the end of days. Blaming mankind for climate change is the biggest scam ever perpetrated in history.

 

Besides, if GCC is caused by man, then you'll be better served by taking your argument to China and India and other 3rd and 2nd world nations. The United States has never been cleaner (since prior to the industrial revolution that is).

 

*Maybe* we're in a warming trend that's totally separate from human conduct. That's possible. But why make it worse when it's been shown that smoke traps more heat (to put it simply)?

[+paticpatic]

I joined back in the spring and incorporate my bicycle rides with geocaching. I an guessing, but about 75% of my cache finds, (only 127) are on my bike. My bike range is limited and have been using my car to locate caches, as I still want to enjoy the hobby and have no problems driving.

[Flexin23]

Hello!

 

I don't own a car, and don't know if I would become addicted to driving around and finding as many as possible if I did. This is just my thoughts on all the pollution geocaching generates. How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate, but I'm sure the atmosphere could do without!

 

I commend you for geocaching for 5 years and 200 cache finds without driving. How did you manage it?

 

The OP never said to avoid *all* driving.

 

The solution is to find caches near where you are, or combine cache drives with other errands when possible.

 

I read the OP as calling into question the practices of high numbers cachers, and I too would like to hear their defense.

 

Why do they need to defend it?

 

How many of the caches the OP found were put there and maintained by people that drove cars to get there?

 

I drive to get mine. But what I like to do is find a spot I can look for a large number of caches from one parking spot. I like to drive near some caches and then I hike to get as many as I can. I have hiked as far as 8.5 kms from my parking spot (round trip). I want to go back next year and do the full 30 kms.

 

I have also searched for some on my way home from work or on the way to or back from shopping. But I have went out and drove to locations just to geocache. I own a vehicle because I want to get places when I need or want to.

 

I don't think it is all that bad. I also feel that if it wasn't for cars, it wouldn't have become as big as it it now.

 

James

[+wimseyguy]

I didn't own a bike for over 20 years, but I bought one a few years ago because so many local caches are being placed along paved greenways. Of course I still have to drive my car to the parking lots of the trail systems, but once there it's all pedal power. I feel much better about myself when I'm looking for those.

[+wmpastor]

Which benefits? The invidual benefit?

 

Imagine this...

 

You and some other good guys, drove for some miles to Attend a CITO on a polluted place, that some hours after looks way better and clean.

 

It's enough for your carbon footprint?

 

By the way... you (as us all) can CITO in every cache you look for.

 

The footprint thing is all wrong I think. Trash doesn't evaporate as far as I know of.

 

I agree that trash doesn't evaporate (except for soda which makes a sticky mess). CITO events send trash for recycling. I do get discouraged with how soon litter can return. However, the flip side is that when a place is clean, it can encourage others to keep it clean. The reverse is also true.

 

So let's resolve to do a bit less driving and a bit more walking as we cache.

[knowschad]

I'm more concerned with people going out every day to buy groceries.

 

They do that anyway... whether they are geocaching or not. Geocaching would be in addition to buying groceries.

[+4wheeler]

15 thousand years ago, a split second in global time, North America was covered with a mile thick sheet of ice and the polar ice cap extended as far south as Mexico. Where did it go and what caused it? Were the woolly mammoths driving SUVs? People who have a vested interest in controlling others want us to believe that man in all of his might can actually change the Earth. Guess what Earth changes all by itself , always has and always will, regardless of man. Man has only been around a few thousand years, compared to the millions of years for the dinosaurs and look where they are. Just another failed evolutionary experiment. But Earth will still be here until the Sun (the source of our energy) burns out.

[knowschad]

How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate

Not only that, but I've heard that there are people who start a new thread instead of recycling one of the many others.

 

http://forums.Ground...showtopic=66302

http://forums.Ground...howtopic=122249

http://forums.Ground...howtopic=281964

http://forums.Ground...showtopic=78059

 

That was unnecessary, don't you think? So what if he started a new thread? A moderator can merge them if it matters all that much.

 

Yes... it does concern me. Particularly when geocaching involves driving miles, stopping every 0.1 mile, then punching the gas to get quickly onto the next film pot. There was a time not so long ago when geocaching meant driving to a spot where you'd hike, but today it seems to be more a matter of driving so near that you don't really need to walk any further than necessary. A little CITO event once or twice a year doesn't make up for that.

[knowschad]

And what about all the energy used to make the device you used to access this website? And the sites servers? And the synthetic chair your sitting on, while wearing synthetic clothing, that you drive home from the store, with the clothes in a plastic bag, that had plastic hangers on them in the store, that uses electricity (that may not be green) to keep cool, and burns natural gas to keep warm? What about the trucks, trains, boats that burn fuel to get that shirt from the pace of manufacture to the store?

 

As you can see, literally everything you somehow negatively affects the environment. Geocachers are just a tiny drop on the ocean. There's many more activities that are worse. People who drive to go camping, hiking, rock climbing. People driving to work. I'll even bet more people drive to the bar than for geocaching. What about all those big sports teams? Buses and airplanes.

 

So stop trying to make yourself look good, and others look bad and go back to to your PETA meeting. Isn't it about time to boycott Walmart because they sell beef?

 

Yup... all those things as well. I do it, you do it, the OP does it. Doesn't make it right, or mean that we shouldn't be concerned about it.

 

Regarding drops in the ocean... try this: put the stopper in your tub or sink and open a faucet enough to drip. Go to bed. Drops matter.

 

This is not about PETA. The OP raised a very real concern. Sure, entertainment has its environmental cost, but that doesn't mean that we should scoff at it or at those that are asking questions about it.

[knowschad]

Besides, if GCC is caused by man, then you'll be better served by taking your argument to China and India and other 3rd and 2nd world nations. The United States has never been cleaner (since prior to the industrial revolution that is).

 

That is true, but that is also due in a large degree because some people raised the alarm. Sure, another part is purely economics moving industry to other countries, but don't discount the part that environmentalists have played in bringing back our clean water, wetlands, and clean air.

[+Path Pacer]

The bigger problem is geocachers and hikers spreading the seeds of invasive plants. In Maryland you will know you are near GZ by the presence of wavy leaf basket grass.

 

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Plants_Wildlife/WLBG/index.asp

We have a similar problem in Colorado, but our main culprits are musk, bull, and Canada thistle, cheatgrass, and woolly mullein. It's heartbreaking to hike into a remote meadow and find it full of musk thistle or be picking cheatgrass out of your socks and your dog's ears.

[+GrateBear]

I'm doing my part! Sold my Jeep Wrangler that got (if lucky) 15 MPG, and replaced it with a Land Rover LR2 that gets about 22 MPG. Did two vacation/geocache trips in Sept, about 2200 miles total, so saved about 47 gallons of gas

[+WarNinjas]

I am not disagreeing with the OP as I am sure we do drive more to cache. I look at it this way. My hobby before caching was fishing. Most of the fishing I like to do is about 2 hours from home. When ever I got the chance I was driving 2 hours up to the lake, Dropping in my boat with a 2 stroke engine and driving all over the lake messing with fish.

Now I have fun with my hobby close to home or wherever I would be driving to anyways. Biking and hiking as well. I think I do much less driving and polluting with this new hobby and I am for sure the fish like me doing this more as well.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

And what about all the energy used to make the device you used to access this website? And the sites servers? And the synthetic chair your sitting on, while wearing synthetic clothing, that you drive home from the store, with the clothes in a plastic bag, that had plastic hangers on them in the store, that uses electricity (that may not be green) to keep cool, and burns natural gas to keep warm? What about the trucks, trains, boats that burn fuel to get that shirt from the pace of manufacture to the store?

 

As you can see, literally everything you somehow negatively affects the environment. Geocachers are just a tiny drop on the ocean. There's many more activities that are worse. People who drive to go camping, hiking, rock climbing. People driving to work. I'll even bet more people drive to the bar than for geocaching. What about all those big sports teams? Buses and airplanes.

 

So stop trying to make yourself look good, and others look bad and go back to to your PETA meeting. Isn't it about time to boycott Walmart because they sell beef?

 

Absolutely, but that doesn't mean you should not or cannot question our impact on the environment. Like any other hobby or activity, there are things that we all can do to make geocaching a greener hobby. Simply saying there are hobbies that are worse doesn't magically make geocaching better.

 

For what it's worth, I don't buy into the climate change theories. I think the earth is going to warm or cool as it always has. I like doing green things because they make me feel good, not because I believe they are having any measurable impact on the environment.

Of course we can poison the oceans. Of course we can dump so much toxic waste that it renders areas uninhabitable for thousands of years. Of course we can foul the skies with pollution. But, those things will all be fixed over time after humans, as a species, have perished. We are a major threat to humanity but not to the earth. Earth has an almost perfect self-correcting nature. If we were to introduce so much pollution that it could change the course of the atmosphere/environment, Earth would simply eliminate the source: us.

[+Ibar]

Hi,

 

Have you thought about "georunning" (or "geobiking")? I'm lucky to live in a region with a high density of caches, 400 out of my 1000 founds are less than 10km from my front door and I've done probably 80% of them ... running, and most of the rest by bicycle :-)

 

I'm lucky as well to have a job that sends me all over the world and there .. I georun as well. So, again, if you live in the "right" area and have a certain mobility linked to your job, it's certainly possible to do a big amount of caches without having to drive somewhere specially to grab that cache.

[+Scratch Ankle]

And how much have you contributed to pollution posting to this forum and looking up caches to go find? All those servers hosting this site and whatever you used to read and post to this forum gets their electrons out of the wall socket connected to an electric power plant (that includes charging a cell phone) and everyone's screaming about that carbon footprint. If you're really serious about not contributing to pollution and global warming you ought to be getting rid of your computer and cell phone devices. And televisions, mp3 players, cd and dvd/blue ray players for us old timers, Rokus and other streaming devices for movies, microwaves, blow dryers ...

[+JL_HSTRE]

it does concern me. Particularly when geocaching involves driving miles, stopping every 0.1 mile, then punching the gas to get quickly onto the next film pot. There was a time not so long ago when geocaching meant driving to a spot where you'd hike, but today it seems to be more a matter of driving so near that you don't really need to walk any further than necessary. A little CITO event once or twice a year doesn't make up for that.

 

This.

 

A big part of the problem is attitudes, many expressed in this thread. Just because you can't remove your impact doesn't mean you can't take some reasonable and responsible steps to reduce it.

[+dartymoor]

Bike caching, that's the future! (I got a bike to do more caches in lane based series.)

 

But bike, walk or whatever - geocaching is overall /good/ because it encourages physical and mental activity. It's a motivator that encourages you to improve several things about yourself to achieve, and those improvements will carry through into the rest of your life.

 

I wonder if anyone's done studies on whether geocachers are, as a species, more productive individuals as a whole?

[+Bubbles&Bonkers]

Bike caching, that's the future! (I got a bike to do more caches in lane based series.)

 

But bike, walk or whatever - geocaching is overall /good/ because it encourages physical and mental activity. It's a motivator that encourages you to improve several things about yourself to achieve, and those improvements will carry through into the rest of your life.

 

I wonder if anyone's done studies on whether geocachers are, as a species, more productive individuals as a whole?

 

I'm definitely more productive since before I started caching. And smarter and funnier and prettier and faster and nicer and more able to scale trees, rappel down cliffs, and spelunkier. True story.

[+Viajero Perdido]

I have to bow out of this conversation for a bit. Shortly I'm off to the airport for another caching trip. The airline tells me I'll be emitting a TON of CO2, literally, give or take a few hundred pounds.

 

I'm sure the CO2 will waft across a forest somewhere, where the trees will inhale deeply and rustle their leaves in appreciation.

[+bflentje]

I have to bow out of this conversation for a bit. Shortly I'm off to the airport for another caching trip. The airline tells me I'll be emitting a TON of CO2, literally, give or take a few hundred pounds.

 

I'm sure the CO2 will waft across a forest somewhere, where the trees will inhale deeply and rustle their leaves in appreciation.

 

Just buy into Al Gore's carbon credits program (which is another scam).

[+boothie103]

I have to ask how many caches has any person found that is natural or carbon neutral? Virtually every cache found is in a man made thing, unless it is an earth cache. But even an earth cache requires a carbon footprint. Then, by logging it, reporting the find and usually taking the photo, carbon credits are used. So how carbon clean is geocaching should be the question? Then we have archived caches that are never retrieved, maybe there should be a an alert of archived caches for people to retrieve and get an award for! Or even a CITO cache whereby people can confirm by geocaching archived cache that it is gone by removing it?

[+Path Pacer]

Hello!

 

I don't own a car, and don't know if I would become addicted to driving around and finding as many as possible if I did. This is just my thoughts on all the pollution geocaching generates. How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate, but I'm sure the atmosphere could do without!

It's a legitimate thought, but I wouldn't be all that concerned about it. Sure, our driving adds to our endless stream of pollution, but probably not as much as you might think. According to the website, there are 6M cachers, but not all of them are active, and most of those are probably First World folks driving around in fuel-efficient, clean-ish cars. Many of them will cache on the way to somewhere else (like me) or just do a few every now and then. I doubt there are many power-trail types who drive short distances all day, and when they do, it's not like they're doing it every day.

 

You can't live in today's world without consuming carbon, but of the many, many sources of pollution, caching has got to be near the bottom of the list. It's not like we're driving around in semis.

[umop-apisdn]

Hello!

 

I don't own a car, and don't know if I would become addicted to driving around and finding as many as possible if I did. This is just my thoughts on all the pollution geocaching generates. How much fossil energy is burned a day because of geocaching is hard to estimate, but I'm sure the atmosphere could do without!

 

Man, what about all of the fuel it took to put the satellites in orbit... just so we could go hunting for plastic McDonald's toys hidden inside a plastic Lock n Lock. Seems like they could have found a better reason for those satellites to justify the rocket fuel pollution.

Edited November 5, 2015 by umop-apisdn