Have you ever really thought about what ignited that spark to care about protecting our natural world? A recent article in Science 2.0 explores the link between people’s childhood activities and their engagement in environmental activities as adults. It suggests that activities like unstructured outdoor play as children helped foster pro-nature ideals later in life. Particularly intriguing is the fact that these kind of childhood experiences are significantly different, more important than other types of outdoor activities and that this pattern holds regardless of nationality and geographical location.

These results emphasize the importance of having natural areas available for recreational activities – an important element of Greenbelt’s land conservation and stewardship focus. 

What influenced you? What experiences, events or people helped to foster pro-environmental behaviors in you? Was it a summer camp? Hiking with a grandparent? Creating a tree house? Let us know!

Read more/Related articles on this subject:

• Conservation Culture: Shaping Your Feelings Towards Environmentalism?
• Space to romp and roam and how it may promote land conservation.
• Children And Conservation: How And What Are They Learning About It?