JOREL Special Issue: Fostering a Culture of Sustainability through Outdoor Recreation and Education
 
Deadline for manuscript submission: May 1, 2022
 
Guest Editors
Garrett Hutson, PhD; Elizabeth Andre, PhD; Andrew Szolosi, PhD
 
The human-nature relationship has been called into question as both scholars and civil society have highlighted the growing environmental crises confronting our planet (Ives et al., 2018). Although appeals for humanity to “reconnect with nature” have increasingly grown louder, uncertainty remains around what constitutes a connected society and how best to achieve such a goal. Previous work has positioned outdoor recreation as a potential driver that can promote greater societal resilience and environmental sustainability (Winter et al., 2020). In particular, outdoor recreation and educational experiences offer opportunities for a person to learn more about ecological systems and develop the kinds of emotional attachments that foster pro-environmental attitudes.
 
Outdoor recreation and education’s role in fostering a culture of sustainability is, however, complex. Many questions remain, for example: Pedagogically, how can programming foster pro-environmental sentiments, and do these pro-environmental attitudes lead to behavior change? Ethically, do any pro-environmental outcomes in participants outweigh the resource-intensity of the outdoor pursuit? Philosophically and practically, how should the outdoor professions respond to the worsening climate crisis? Critically, how do concerns of social justice, equity and inclusion intersect with environmental issues, and what implications does this have for the outdoor professions? From a resource management perspective, has the increased interest in and use of outdoor recreation areas challenged the ideal of sustainable outdoor spaces?
 
The purpose of this special issue is to critically examine the role that outdoor recreation and education can have in fostering a culture of sustainability. This special issue offers an opportunity for further examination of the challenges, constraints, opportunities, and outcomes of outdoor recreation and educational experiences as they relate to notions of sustainability. Submissions for this special issue may wish to address topics that include, but are not limited to, the following:
 

• The intersection between equity and sustainability in outdoor recreation and education
• The interplay of climate change and outdoor recreation and recreation and education
• Indigenous perspectives on environmental sustainability through land-based educational approaches.
• Opportunities and impacts from increased use of outdoor recreation spaces during the COVID-19 era.
• The efficacy of Leave No Trace as a platform to promote sustainable practices in outdoor recreation and education.
• Revisiting Richard Louv’s notion of nature deficit disorder in light of current challenges to sustainability.
• Transformative outdoor experiences and their relationship to environmental concern.
• The role of urban outdoor recreation spaces for promoting environmental sustainability.
• Fostering place attachment and nature connection through outdoor recreation and education
• The influence of COVID-19 on the outdoor profession’s progress towards ideals of sustainability.
• The potential for nature-based virtual reality as a sustainability intervention.
• Outdoor recreation as a threat or opportunity for environmental sustainability.
• Outdoor recreation and education as vehicles for developing emotional affinity to nature.
• Outdoor recreation and education as a means for exploring more sustainable ways of living.

 
All manuscripts submitted will undergo the normal peer-review process and should adhere to the author guidelines outlined in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership. Co-authorship between academicians and practitioners is encouraged. Manuscripts can be submitted through the Sagamore- Venture journal management system.
 
Instructions are provided at http://js.sagamorepub.com/jorel/about/submissions#author Guidelines.
 
Interested authors should direct questions to the guest editors:
Garrett Hutson, ghutson@brocku.ca; Elizabeth Andre, eandre@northland.edu; Andrew Szolosi,
szolosi@ohio.edu
 
Important Dates

• Deadline for manuscript submission: May 1, 2022
• Decision date for submitted manuscripts: July 1, 2022
• Final resubmission for accepted manuscripts: September 1, 2022
• Anticipated publication date: January 2023

 
References
Ives, C. D., Abson, D. J., von Wehrden, H., Dorninger, C., Klaniecki, K., & Fischer, J. (2018). Reconnecting with nature for sustainability. Sustainability Science, 13, 1389–11397. doi:10.1007/s11625-108-0542-9
Winter, P. L., Selin, S., Cervenvy, L., & Bricker, K. (2020). Outdoor recreation, nature-based tourism, and sustainability. Sustainability, 12, 81. doi: 10.3390/su12010081