"Going Green": Investigating Environmental Sustainability Practices in Camp Organizations across the United States

Authors

  • Lincoln R. Larson North Carolina State University
  • Josselyn Rivera-Zuniga
  • Barry A. Garst
  • Samuel Keith
  • Danny Sudman
  • Laurie Browne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/JOREL-2023-11684

Keywords:

Barriers, Conservation, Education, Environmental stewardship, Green purchasing, Motivations, Summer Camps, Sustainability, Triple bottom line, Constraints, Waste management

Abstract

Our study explored current environmental sustainability practices of U.S. camps as well as the motivations and barriers influencing integration of sustainable operational approaches. Using a web survey of camp organizations in Spring 2021, we identified participation in sustainable actions across five broad categories: waste management, sustainability education and communication, natural resource and wildlife conservation, energy and water consumption, and purchasing and procurement. Many camp organizations already engaged in sustainable practices – especially with respect to waste management and sustainability education – but almost all camps wanted to do more. Camp organizations placed higher priority on environmental and social motivations for sustainability than economic reasons. Inadequate financial and/or technological resources was the largest perceived barrier to sustainability, though lack of awareness and capacity-building assistance was also a constraint. Results highlight strong interest in sustainability across the camp industry and reveal multiple ways to realize that potential.

Author Biography

Lincoln R. Larson, North Carolina State University

Dr. Lincoln Larson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at North Carolina State University. He has earned degrees in Biology (B.S., Duke University), Forest Resources (M.S., University of Georgia), and Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism (Ph.D., University of Georgia). Before coming to NC State in 2017, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the Human Dimensions Research Unit of Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources and as an Assistant Professor in teh Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Managment at Clemson University. At NC State, Dr. Larson’s teaching and research focus on characterizing and managing interactions between humans and the natural environment. His work, which is supported by a variety of federal and state government agencies (e.g., National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service) and nongovernmental organizations, is designed to help students, scientists, land managers, and the general public understand, communicate, and collaboratively respond to emerging challenges facing parks and protected areas. Dr. Larson has worked with student advisees and colleagues from many disciplines to publish more than 100 journal articles, technical reports, and book chapters covering a range of topics including human dimensions of natural resource management, nature-based recreation and associated health benefits, and environmental education. His undergraduate and graduate courses at NC State reflect his diverse experience and interdisciplinary approach to natural resource recreation planning and management.

References

Abad-Segura, E., Cortés-García, F. J., & Belmonte-Ureña, L. J. (2019). The sustainable approach to corporate social responsibility: A global analysis and future trends. Sustainability, 11(19), 5382.

Alhaddi, H. (2015). Triple bottom line and sustainability: A literature review. Business and Management Studies, 1(2), 6-10.

Álvarez Jaramillo, J., Zartha Sossa, J. W., & Orozco Mendoza, G. L. (2019). Barriers to sustainability for small and medium enterprises in the framework of sustainable development—literature review. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(4), 512-524.

Bakos, J., Siu, M., Orengo, A., & Kasiri, N. (2020). An analysis of environmental sustainability in small & medium‐sized enterprises: Patterns and trends. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(3), 1285-1296.

Basiago, A. D. (1995). Methods of defining ‘sustainability’. Sustainable Development, 3(3), 109-119.

Brain, R., Upton, S., & Tingey, B. (2015). Extension sustainability camp: Design, implementation, and evaluation. Journal of Extension, 53(1), 1-18.

Borowy, I. (2013). Defining sustainable development for our common future: A history of the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission). Routledge.

Bowers, E. P., Larson, L. R., & Sandoval, A. M. (2019). Urban youth perspectives on the benefits and challenges of outdoor adventure camp. Journal of Youth Development, 14(4), 122-143.

Browne, L. P., Garst, B. A., & Bialeschki, M. D. (2011). Engaging youth in environmental sustainability: Impact of the Camp 2 Grow program. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 29(3).

Cheeseman, A., & Wright, T. (2019). Examining environmental learning experiences at an earth education summer camp. Environmental Education Research, 25(3), 375-387.

Chen, S., Kraak, V. I., Price, T. T., Love, K., Byker Shanks, C., & Serrano, E. L. (2022). Exploring food waste at a residential youth summer camp: a mixed-methods study. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 17(1), 135-148.

Dibra, M. (2015). Rogers Theory on diffusion of innovation-the most appropriate theoretical model in the study of factors influencing the integration of sustainability in tourism businesses. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, 1453-1462.

Fuso Nerini, F., Sovacool, B., Hughes, N., Cozzi, L., Cosgrave, E., Howells, M., ... & Milligan, B. (2019). Connecting climate action with other Sustainable Development Goals. Nature Sustainability, 2(8), 674-680.

Garay, L., & Font, X. (2012). Doing good to do well? Corporate social responsibility reasons, practices and impacts in small and medium accommodation enterprises. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(2), 329-337.

Garner, M. A., Taft, E. D., & Stevens, C. L. (2015). Do children increase their environmental consciousness during summer camp? A comparison of two programs. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 7(1), 20-34.

Garst, B. A., Browne, L. P., & Bialeschki, M. D. (2011). Youth development and the camp experience. New Directions for Youth Development, 130, 73-87.

Graci, S., & Kuehnel, J. (2011). How to increase your bottom line by going green. Green Hotels & Responsible Tourism Initiative. Available at: http://green.hotelscombined.com/Pages/MainGreen/Downloads/green-hotel-whitepaper.pdf

Hoffman, A. J., & Bazerman, M. H. (2005). Changing environmental practice: understanding and overcoming the organizational and psychological barriers. In Sharma, M., & Husted, B. (Eds), Organizations and the sustainability mosaic: new perspectives in research on corporate sustainability (Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 05-04)(pp. 1-38). Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=663564

Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288.

Larson, L. R., Lauber, T. B., Kay, D. L., & Cutts, B. B. (2017). Local government capacity to respond to environmental change: Insights from towns in New York State. Environmental Management, 60(1), 118-135.

Lawson, D. F., Stevenson, K. T., Peterson, M. N., Carrier, S. J., Strnad, R., & Seekamp, E. (2018). Intergenerational learning: are children key in spurring climate action? Global Environmental Change, 53, 204-208.

Min, H., & Galle, W. P. (1997). Green purchasing strategies: trends and implications. International Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 33(2), 10-17.

Montiel, I. (2008). Corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability: Separate pasts, common futures. Organization & Environment, 21(3), 245-269.

Russell, S. V., Young, C. W., Unsworth, K. L., & Robinson, C. (2017). Bringing habits and emotions into food waste behaviour. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 125, 107-114.

Sheth, J. N., Sethia, N. K., & Srinivas, S. (2011). Mindful consumption: a customer-centric approach to sustainability. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(1), 21-39.

Skanavis, C., Kounani, A., Tsamopoulos, K., Polymeris-Maripas, G., Koukoulis, A., Topaltsis, L., & Antonopoulos, K. (2020). Implementing sustainable development through environmental camps: the case of Skyros Project. In Universities and Sustainable Communities: Meeting the Goals of the Agenda 2030 (pp. 147-167). Springer.

Sudman, D. (2020). Going Green at camp. Available at: https://www.acacamps.org/resource-library/camping-magazine/going-green-camp

United Nations. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals: 17 Goals to Transform Our World. Available at: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

Ventura, A. K., & Garst, B. A. (2013). Residential summer camp: a new venue for nutrition education and physical activity promotion. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10(1), 1-9.

White, S. S. (2014). Campus sustainability plans in the United States: where, what, and how to evaluate? International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 15(2), 228-241.

Witek, L., & Kuźniar, W. (2020). Green purchase behavior: The effectiveness of sociodemographic variables for explaining green purchases in emerging market. Sustainability, 13(1), 209.

Xu, Z., Chau, S. N., Chen, X., Zhang, J., Li, Y., Dietz, T., ... & Liu, J. (2020). Assessing progress towards sustainable development over space and time. Nature, 577(7788), 74-78.

Downloads

Published

2023-01-15

Issue

Section

Special Issue: Fostering a Culture of Sustainability through Outdoor Recreation