A sustainable city is one that is walkable. Access to public transportation, especially to areas where cars tend to cluster, is also a great investment. If you love the vibe of a city that doesn’t force you to own a car, Sedona could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Work With Your Region
If you want to live in the desert, adding a pool may keep you cooler but it’s not friendly to the climate. Around Sedona, there are plenty of ways to spend the day alongside or in the water nature has provided so you can stay cool.
For those who love to garden, visit your local arboretum and find out how to foster native plants in your landscape. If possible, try to create a garden that can flourish with very little extra water. Look for ways to support your local pollinators while beautifying your home.
Leave No Trace
The principles of leaving no trace in the wild are critical to enjoying wild places and living well in a sustainable city. For the very best wilderness experiences, follow these principles. To stay light upon the earth, adapt them for your life in the city!
Follow Existing Trails
Hikers know that those trails loop, turn and double back. Why? Part of the reason that such trails are not straight up or straight down is for the best drainage. In the Sedona area, rains can come fast and hard. If you shorten a hiking trail and create shortcuts, the next time the rain comes, that trail may wash out.
Park and Pitch Your Tent Appropriately
If you get to your assigned camping site and there’s a defined grassy space and a bed of wildflowers, let the wildflowers be and pitch your tent on the dry grassy spot. If you’re looking for a spot to dry camp in your RV, use existing spaces. Don’t create a new parking space. Parking your vehicle in a pristine spot will
- shade any young plants until they die
- compress the soil so seeds can’t germinate
- leave petroleum products in the soil
Stay at least 200 feet from lakes, streams, creeks or rivers. If there’s a fire ring, confirm there is no fire ban and use the campfire ring if you wish. Do not move a campfire ring to have a more convenient fire.
Pack In Pack Out
The products you bring in will generate trash. As you’re responsible for bringing in your supplies, you’re responsible for carrying out your trash. Don’t leave garbage in your fire ring. Take it out and dispose of it properly. In town, recycle what you can. Try to buy products with as little packaging as possible. Buy used to avoid excess packaging and expense. Compete with your neighbors to generate the least trash!
Engage in Art
Part of the Sedona Sustainable Pledge is participating in the community. There are galleries and visual artists all over the city. Rather than getting out in the wilderness and carving in a tree or painting on a rock, participate in local art shows. Take a class and learn to paint on canvas. Leave the wild beauty around Sedona alone for the next human on the path.
Focus on Safety
There are many ways to hurt yourself in the world. If you are interested in building a hiking habit, be smart. Don’t find the toughest trail near Sedona and try to force yourself into expertise too quickly. Risking your health and your life on a tough trail is not sustainable; you will either
- hate it and never hike again
- hurt yourself and need to be rescued
- risk your life
Be a smart novice. Take an easy trail that invigorates you. Learn how heavy water is and how much you need on the trail. Figure out your favorite hiking temperature and focus on hikes that are invigorating rather than exhausting.
Participating in a sustainable city is all about experiences. Will you go home with pretty rocks? No, but you can certainly go and look at them again in the future. The landscape belongs to all. A healthy city is made up of citizens who care about one another.
