Leave No Trace in Practice at Common Knowledge
At Common Knowledge, we are lucky to share 50 acres of land in the Burren with thousands of people each year. With that privilege comes responsibility.
The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace provide a simple and powerful framework for caring for the outdoors. Originally developed for the countryside, they apply everywhere — from remote hills to local parks, and even in your own neighbourhood .
At its heart, Leave No Trace is simple:
Make it hard for others to see or hear you and leave no trace of your visit.
Here is how we apply the principles in practice at Common Knowledge.
1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
We plan our courses, events and community days carefully so that our presence strengthens the land rather than pressures it. We:
Schedule activities to avoid overcrowding
Keep group sizes appropriate to the space
Encourage car sharing and mindful parking
Brief participants in advance about what to expect and what to bring
Preparation reduces impact before anyone even steps onto the land.
2. Be Considerate of Others
We are both a learning centre and a place where people live and work. Respect matters. We:
Ask participants to keep noise to a minimum
Share clear guidance about parking and local access
Respect neighbouring farmers, land users and local residents
Protect the quiet experience of the Burren landscape
Community care is part of ecological care.
3. Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife
The Burren is home to rich biodiversity and working farmland. We:
Keep dogs under close control
Observe wildlife from a distance
Avoid disturbing nesting birds or sensitive habitats
Never feed animals
Design restoration work to enhance habitats rather than disrupt them
Our work in ecological restoration goes hand in hand with protecting what is already here.
4. Travel and Camp Responsibly
We concentrate movement on durable ground and existing paths. We:
Use established tracks and gathering areas
Avoid creating new desire lines across fields
Place temporary activities in locations that minimise wear
Restore areas that show signs of pressure
The aim is simple: leave the land as we found it, or better.
5. Leave What You Find
The Burren’s landscape, walls and archaeology are part of Ireland’s shared heritage. We:
Do not remove rocks, plants or natural materials unless part of structured learning
Protect dry stone walls and heritage features
Avoid introducing invasive species
Teach traditional skills in ways that respect materials and place
We are here to learn from the land, not take from it.
6. Dispose of Waste Properly
“If you bring it in, take it out” is a standard we uphold across all our activities We:
Minimise single-use materials
Separate waste carefully
Compost food scraps where appropriate
Provide clear facilities for recycling
Encourage reusable cups, bottles and containers
Waste reduction is part of everyday practice here.
7. Protect Nature from Fire
Fire can cause lasting damage to fragile ecosystems . We:
Do not permit the public to have open fires on site
Use contained and safe heating systems
Teach safe, responsible approaches to fire where relevant
Avoid any activity that could increase wildfire risk
Prevention is always better than repair.
Leave No Trace as a Living Practice
For us, Leave No Trace is not a checklist. It is a mindset. It shapes how we design courses, welcome groups, manage our land and host community events. It influences how we think about energy, water, biodiversity and carbon impact.
Every participant who comes here becomes part of that ethic. Together, we aim to care for land, people and place in a way that ensures this landscape can continue to teach and sustain for generations to come.
