Get Offline, Get Outside: Next Generation of Conservationists Needed

I was six when my parents took my brother and me to the Grand Canyon.  I remember it was scorching hot and I remember getting sick over a guard rail on the South Rim of the canyon after suffering from heat exhaustion.  But mostly, I remember being mesmerized by the canyon’s overwhelming size and its breathtaking beauty.  

My brother and me at the Grand Canyon, 1993.

Nearly 20 years later, I’m in Washington, D.C., the site of this week’s Great Outdoors America Week—an opportunity for people across the country to gather and meet with conservation activists and congressional leaders to show support for public land conservation.  You can also participate in your own city during the entire month of September. 

President Barack Obama once captured in words what my parents were trying to instill in my brother and me on the rim of the Grand Canyon that day, way back when.

It’s a recognition passed down from one generation to the next, that few pursuits are more satisfying to the spirit than discovering the greatness of America’s outdoors.  And when we see America’s land, we understand what an incredible bounty that we have been given. And it’s our obligation to make sure that the next generation enjoys that same bounty.

I listened to Obama make that proclamation at the America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Conference in April 2010. I remember looking around the room, only to be disappointed by the small number of young people present.  We, Millennials, are the next generation.  It is our responsibility to engage in this dialogue.

As my colleague writes, the millennial generation is confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and receptive to new ideas and ways of living.  But simultaneously, we are the generation of technological exceptionalism.  We don’t remember a world without computers. We rely on our phones to do things other than make a phone call. We were the first users of Facebook and many of us meet our best friends and spouses on social networking sites.  Our lives are intimately entwined to technology. 

As a result, we spend less time outside. We are losing touch with the natural world.  I can attest to this.  Like so many others, I spend too many of my days sitting in front of a computer, typing furiously and staring off into the abyss of my Microsoft Outlook inbox.  This is pathetic.

Author Richard Louv coined the term Nature Deficit Disorder, to describe the relationship between kids spending less time outdoors and the rise in childhood behavioral problems.  Attendance at our national parks has decreased by over 20 percent since 1988– this is the first time in park history that we’ve witnessed a steady decline in visitors.  According to scientists, these trends may be early signs of a fundamental shift away from an appreciation of nature (“biophilia”) and towards “videophilia”—the new human tendency to focus on sedentary activities involving electronic media.  

This begs the question, who will be the next generation of conservationists?

I don’t pretend to have the answers and I am certainly not advocating that we toss out our gadgets, but I believe the two sides are reconcilable.  It’s possible to engage in both the electronic cloud and be a steward of our environment.  Obama acknowledged that at times like these, we have to ask ourselves: What can we do to break free from the routine and reconnect with the world around us?

It is vital for our generation to reconnect with our natural heritage, not only for the public health and social benefits, but also for job opportunities.  Jobs created by the conservation economy include those in recreation and tourism, renewable energy and green technology, forest landscape restoration, and sustainable land management.  A new Conservation Service Corps was even created for the explicit purpose of providing jobs for young people and to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders.

My visit to the Grand Canyon was only the beginning of my interest in the environment.

I hope you, too, have had memorable experiences in the outdoors and will help to protect these special places.  Monumental change begins at the local level- don’t feel obligated to fly across the country to visit a national park.  Instead, visit a community park or take a walk around your city block.  Support your local farmer or plant your own veggies.  Help weatherize homes in your neighborhood to lower energy bills. Talk to your friends about why you care about the environment. 

Don’t forget your childhood memories from the outdoors.  And do your part to ensure your children have this same experience.

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