Tourism is a huge issue that affects all places, and Iceland is no exception. In many outdoor places, as foot traffic increases, the state of the land decreases, as the terrain is torn and destroyed. Yesterday, we learned in Thingvellir that the rise in tourism leads to an increase in bathroom usage. In parks such as this where the water is so important to the health of the ecosystem, removing the waste is expensive.
At Selfoss, we saw at the geysers just the sheer amount of people around. Dr. Barry told us that the last time he visited this place, there was no walking path to get up to the lookout, and you basically had to climb all the way up. Today, there are stairs and roped-off sections for us to climb. By adding footpaths, you are reducing the amount of human contact with the area, allowing for more preservation of the land.
To conserve places of natural beauty, we have to make a conscious effort to be careful with the mark we make on the land. Anywhere we step, anything we drop, and anything we touch affects the ecosystem and can hinder the preservation of the land’s beauty.
In the mind of sustainable practices, keeping compostable and biodegradable containers in to-go food, having automatic sinks in restrooms, and roped-off sections all help the environment, even if it is small.
Leave. No. Trace.
Swanson School of Engineering 