Take Care Tahoe

A couple days ago I hiked a portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail up to Dardanelle Lake. It’s a pretty popular hike and as such there’s a good-sized parking lot with facilities for the people who come to utilize it. Of course my dog did her business as soon as we got there so I picked it up (using an Earth Rted biodegradable bag) and went to toss it in the dumpster. On the front of the dumpster I recognized one of the quirky signs made by Take Care Tahoe, a group comprised of some 20 local organizations. This particular sign said “Hide Your Trash Here Please” and was a bright blue color with some trash cartoon characters on it. The signs made by this group have spread around town in both public areas and in businesses, and feature address environmental concerns such as aquatic invasive species, pets, fire, litter, tap water, and trails. One of my favorites, is the “if its your dog its your doody” sign.  In all they have 112 different signs in both English and Spanish. Perusing their site https://takecaretahoe.org/take-action/ I decided it would be pretty cool for me to put the “Such a turn on. Tahoe has some of the America’s greatest tasting water so kick the habit of bottled water and drink from the tap” sign in my vacation rentals.

I like a lot about what the Take Care Tahoe Group is doing. They have created a highly visual way of reminding both locals and visitors about our sensitive environment. What I hear a lot from locals is that tourists are responsible for the garbage issues particularly on the beaches, but what I observe is that its neither an exclusively local or tourist issue. Their imagery is cute and punny and educational rather than authoritative and commanding. They have also successfully gotten the business community involved in spreading the messages. At my last hotel we were dog friendly and we purchased some of the signage about picking up after your pet. I think these kinds of business non-profit partnerships are critical.

I first saw these signs through The Tahoe Fund which is one of the founding organizations in the Take Care Tahoe group. The Tahoe Fund has a history of success at involving business in their environmental fundraising projects. For local hotels they have a “Green Bucks” program where hotel guests can make a $1 contribution to the Tahoe Fund. Green Bucks have raised thousands of dollars for projects like hiking trails that visitors and local alike enjoy. This is a great example of how hospitality business and non-profits can help to promote eco-tourism in an area.

Do you have similar programs, initiatives or partnerships in your area? I would love to hear about them.