An American couple traveling in South Iceland were shocked to see the disrespect with which many other travelers treated the sights they were visiting. The couple decided to take matters into their own hands and pick up the trash and litter left by other visitors. They encourage others to show similar responsibility and thus help ensure the beauty of Iceland survives.
The couple, David and Rachel McAfee were traveling along the south coast over the weekend, visiting places like Reynisfjara beach and Skógafoss. Like other visitors they were amazed and deeply moved by the beauty. In a post on his blog, David writes that the couple noticed trash everywhere.
My wife, Rachael, started picking picking up trash during our first stop at a waterfall. I joined her, and we kept it in our pockets. When we got to Vík, however, there was too much trash to fit in our pockets. Luckily, we found a bag, which was left by earlier tourists on the beach, and used that.
We were only there for about 30 minutes, but we found enough trash to fill the grocery bag, and then some.
Rachel shared photos of the trash collecting operation on social media, noting that it's the only photo taken of her in Iceland where she isn't smiling, because this broke my heart.
David points out that if everybody treated nature like a giant ashtray or garbage dump there won't be much beauty left to enjoy:
Overall, we had a great time, and it was really gorgeous. But it won’t be that way for long, if people continue to leave their trash everywhere.
We at Iceland Insider would like to salute these two travelers: This is what responsible travel looks like. Every time any of our staff goes hiking we take a bag with us to pick up the trash left by people who still think they are three years old, and that their mother follows them around, picking up after them. It helps keep nature clean, and sets a good example.
The best way to ensure Iceland reamains beautiful and pristine is to follow these two rules:
Two simple rules regarding hiking and trash
1) Don't litter and pick up your own trash.
2) Pick up the trash left by people who think rule #1 does not apply to them.
An American couple traveling in South Iceland were shocked to see the disrespect with which many other travelers treated the sights they were visiting. The couple decided to take matters into their own hands and pick up the trash and litter left by other visitors. They encourage others to show similar responsibility and thus help ensure the beauty of Iceland survives.
The couple, David and Rachel McAfee were traveling along the south coast over the weekend, visiting places like Reynisfjara beach and Skógafoss. Like other visitors they were amazed and deeply moved by the beauty. In a post on his blog, David writes that the couple noticed trash everywhere.
My wife, Rachael, started picking picking up trash during our first stop at a waterfall. I joined her, and we kept it in our pockets. When we got to Vík, however, there was too much trash to fit in our pockets. Luckily, we found a bag, which was left by earlier tourists on the beach, and used that.
We were only there for about 30 minutes, but we found enough trash to fill the grocery bag, and then some.
Rachel shared photos of the trash collecting operation on social media, noting that it's the only photo taken of her in Iceland where she isn't smiling, because this broke my heart.
David points out that if everybody treated nature like a giant ashtray or garbage dump there won't be much beauty left to enjoy:
Overall, we had a great time, and it was really gorgeous. But it won’t be that way for long, if people continue to leave their trash everywhere.
We at Iceland Insider would like to salute these two travelers: This is what responsible travel looks like. Every time any of our staff goes hiking we take a bag with us to pick up the trash left by people who still think they are three years old, and that their mother follows them around, picking up after them. It helps keep nature clean, and sets a good example.
The best way to ensure Iceland reamains beautiful and pristine is to follow these two rules:
Two simple rules regarding hiking and trash
1) Don't litter and pick up your own trash.
2) Pick up the trash left by people who think rule #1 does not apply to them.
