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Test your interest in new outdoor adventures—climbing, camping, hiking, or kayaking—by renting before buying. You’ll get first-hand knowledge of the sport without committing to a long-term purchase, saving you money as well as preventing the unnecessary consumption and disposal of new equipment.

How to rent outdoor gear

Renting gear works well for those new to a sport as well as those who partake in outdoor adventures infrequently. Gear can be rented from a variety of sources:

1. Outdoor education centers: Many higher education institutions—colleges, universities, community organizations—rent equipment for low fees to students and non-students alike.
2. Try before you buy: Outdoor equipment stores often have “try it before you buy it” programs, allowing you to rent the latest equipment before making a big investment.
3. Hire online: There are some online swap sites that allow you to borrow or rent from people in your area.
4. Raid your friend’s closet: Got an outdoor enthusiast for a friend? They may have some outdoor equipment they’d lend you—a good option when others fail.

Find it! Gear rental sites

Renting outdoor gear helps you go green because…

• It prevents you from buying new products, saving natural resources, energy and water, and reducing the strain on landfills.

Americans buy over $5 billion worth of outdoor gear annually. All of these products require energy, water, chemicals, and land to produce, much of which damages the earth.[1][2] In 2006, over 251 million tons of garbage were produced in the US.[3] Each American resident generates approximately 4.6 pounds of garbage every day;[4] more solid waste than the residents of any other country. Canadians generate the next largest amount of waste, about 3.75 pounds each per day, whereas Germany and Sweden produce less than 2 pounds per day per person, the least of all the industrialized nations.[5] Reusing objects to prevent them from becoming garbage is a sustainable approach to solid waste management.[6] Reusing items is more sustainable than recycling them or otherwise disposing of them, since the items do not require energy or other resources to collect, transport, sort, and either process into their constituent recyclable components, incinerate, or sequester in a landfill.

Eco-impacts of new products

Though natural fibers are biodegradable and renewable, their production and manufacture are fraught with environmental problems. Cotton farming uses only about 3 percent of the farmland around the world, but consumes 25 percent of all chemical pesticides and fertilizers.[7] Conventional wool production also involves the use of pesticides on pastures and chemicals in the feed.[8] And insects are quickly becoming resistant to recommended rates of pesticide application, and ever increasing amounts are needed be effective.[9]

Many outdoor gear manufacturers add chemical treatments such as GORE-TEX and Teflon to fabrics in order to help repel insects, water, and odors. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), fabrics treated with such chemicals can break down in the environment or in the human body. [10][11] Scientific studies have identified 15 PFCs in human blood, and one 2001 industry study of six PFCs in human blood identified four PFCs at higher levels in children than in adults.[11]

Polyvinyl chloride PVC—a soft plastic used commonly in consumer products—poses severe environmental risks throughout its lifecycle.[12] The manufacture of PVC creates toxic pollution, threatening the health of both factory workers and the communities surrounding factory sites. When disposed of, lead, phthalates—which are industrial compounds used to make plastics soft[13]—and other toxic additives can leach into the ground and drinking water supplies from landfills. Incineration of PVC products produces dioxins and furans, which are among the most toxic environmental contaminants and are known carcinogens.[14] Recycling is not an option with PVC plastic: one PVC item can contaminate a batch of 100,000 recyclable bottles.[14]

Glossary

• phthalates: A group of chemicals used as plasticisers in PVC plastics that are known to be testicular toxins and can disrupt hormones.[15]

External links

• Travel Gear Blog
• Learner.org - Garbage
• MSNBC.com - Shop Green for Earth Day
• The Rotten Truth About Garbage