UKC

Hey

I'm currently studying a HND in outdoor education at Glasgow Kelvin College. As part of my studies I am conducting a research project, on which I am aiming to discover the influence that hillwalking has on a person's environmental awareness; and whether that awareness has a direct impact on our planet.

If you have a spare few minutes, I have created a short survey and it would be great if you could fill it out.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CNZH57D

Thank you very much for your assistance!
Liz

In reply to lizheath:

Oh definitely. I've become much more environmentally conscious since I started driving my enormous 4x4 up to Scotland every weekend.

(Survey done.)

In reply to lizheath:

I think by "our planet" you mean The Earth.
That would be a good start.

Hillwalking or any other outdoor physical activity connects people with their environment, their climate, the land and landscape. Anyone that works or spends a lot of time outdoors has a better understanding of how they fit in with all the other critters and processes that happen on Earth.

That is obvious so your survey will demonstrate that I'm sure.

In reply to Removed User:


Lots of good and important research tests "obvious" things! And so it should - often.

Liz, I've done your survey, good luck with your research.

In reply to lizheath:

Done!

Made me think about what I'm doing and why...

Good luck with project.

In reply to Removed User:

My aim of this research project isn't to possibly figure out whether or not there is a relationship, I am not a moron. My aim is to collect facts and statistics that prove my statement; and then to pass on the facts to others through my presentation. I honestly believe that if the younger generations are being encouraged to immerse themselves in nature more, environmental conservation and consideration will be greatly improved.

Thanks for your useful input.

In reply to lizheath:

>if the younger generations are being encouraged to immerse themselves in nature more, environmental conservation and consideration will be greatly improved.

Will they take their rubbish home too?

In reply to Turdus torquatus:


Maybe not if they're taught they have to. But if they're taught/shown reasons to want to then yea, it's possible. The reason I take my rubbish home with me is because I'm a surfer and when I was a kid I was shown pictures and videos of "rubbish islands" out in the ocean. I was shown surfers surrounded by rubbish within every wave. Every child has something they consider valuable or enjoyable, it's just a matter of finding that and then finding a way environmental conservation can be linked to it.

In reply to Removed User:

"Hillwalking or any other outdoor physical activity connects people with their environment...etc.,"

I do not agree. The amount of footpath erosion has increased dramatically over the years I've been walking/climbing etc., So has litter.

I'm still not aware of an increased undestanding of wildlife & environmental matters amongst folk who use the outdoors. At one outdoor centre I worked at there wasn't another 'outdoor pursuits expert' who could identify most birds and none could recognise the difference between bell heather or crossed leaved heather for example.

In reply to lizheath:


If you are writing up this project for Uni then you should note that the average social science researcher would have apoplexy if someone wrote that in an essay describing a research project!

In reply to lizheath:

Oh right. You've changed your mind since the OP then, when you said you were doing research.

In reply to lizheath:

It seems a very consumerist approach you have towards the great outdoors- having to sell them a way they'll want to take their rubbish home.
I guess that's the contemporary take on things. Once upon a time, societal norms included overarching principles such as respect and consideration. Guided by these principles on a subconscious level, if I ventured out in the countryside then my environmental 'awareness' was just another manifestation of those principles in action. I don't think it was the countryside that led to it.

There are many instances today where people are enticed into the hills by challenges such as the three peaks, which are widely viewed as anything but environmentally friendly. There are sportives whose routes can be determined by the trail of gel wrappers. Examples of how the countryside is nowadays marketed as an arena for personal challenge. From the rubbish left behind, in many cases, the need to complete/achieve trumps the need for environmental consideration. I guess you could argue that the competitors are not the sort of people out in the hills for extended periods, but I'm not convinced.
If you have to sell an idea to create environmental awareness, I'd guess it would be more likely to be situation specific in our consumerist age.

In reply to deepsoup:

Recreation certainly helps people to engage with their outdoors and the wider environment however I answered 'no' to that question as I couldn't honestly say that was what made me engage more closely with the environment. It may well have been but I can't remember!

In reply to lizheath:

It would be just as useful be interestin to ask why people might answer 'no' to 5