In recent years, driven by market demand, more and more mountainous areas have been designated as natural scenic spots, and the increasing influx of people has put tremendous pressure on the natural environment. At the same time, various pollutants have also been introduced into these areas, causing serious damage to the natural environment.
The "Leave No Trace" course was created and named by the U.S. Forest Service in 1982. The course mainly teaches a series of outdoor activity techniques and standards to minimize human impact on nature. In 2007, Taiwan's Forestry Bureau introduced the Leave No Trace outdoor theory center's course to Taiwan.
During this "Leave No Trace" course, instructors Wu Guanzhang and Zheng Tingbin from Taiwan moved away from excessive theoretical preaching and instead focused on inspiring participants' understanding of the seven core principles of "Leave No Trace" through hands-on field activities. The instructors emphasized that the seven principles—"proper trip planning and preparation, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, properly disposing of waste, leaving what you find, minimizing campfire impacts, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors"—cover a wide range of practices. They expressed hope that the spread of the LNT course would encourage more people to take the initiative in environmental protection, and that adapting to local conditions is the key to putting LNT into real action.
To ensure the healthy development of mountainous areas and achieve "Leave No Trace," how should waste and food scraps be handled in the wild? Can fruit peels be discarded freely? What are the dangers of campfires to forests and how should they be managed properly? A series of questions and their solutions were vividly demonstrated and explained during the field sessions.
During the sharing session, participants shared their feelings and understanding of the course. They gained a deep awareness that environmental misconceptions are also one of the main reasons for the destruction of the natural environment. They expressed their intention to widely spread what they had learned in the course within their respective schools and communities, hoping to contribute their part to environmental protection.
After the course, Morgan, VAUDE China’s Marketing Director, said in an interview, "From learning, spreading, to practicing the 'Leave No Trace' course, every step of this process is essential. Compared to quietly carrying out environmental protection practices, we prefer to learn from Chen Guangbiao’s approach to widely promote environmental awareness, so that more people develop an environmental consciousness. There is only one Earth, and we believe that long-term vision determines the depth of a brand. Environmental protection is the essence of the VAUDE brand, and we hope more like-minded friends will join us in protecting the only Earth we have." He stated that this course is just the beginning of the LNT project, and VAUDE plans to continue promoting the widespread dissemination of LNT courses across the country.
