When my daughter and her best friend reunited after their first year of college, there were some shifts – it’s a time of change. Her friend, always passionate about recycling and caring for the environment, is now vegan and looking for ways to cut her use of plastic. She brings her own containers to the grocery store and buys in bulk as much as she can. She got me thinking, not just about conservation, but about where her drive came from. Was it from the classes she was taking or from passion she’s had forever?
Recently, I came across an article on the environmental identity of college students in France no less. The study found that students' spending time in nature, having a social group interested in the environment, as well as childhood experiences in rural settings were contributing factors to a young adult's identity as an environmentalist. All of these factors were more important than were their decision to take environmental science classes or to major in it. Really, as far as my daughter's friend is concerned, we know she logged lots of time outdoors for play and vacation and adamant environmentalists make up family and friends, past and present. This study concurs with our experience; her friend was an environmentalists long before college, which means education alone is not the key to becoming an environmentalist.
The article uses assessments of students' sense of interdependence with the natural world and of their "sense of belonging" to nature. It's an interesting article, especially considering the cultural context of French post-secondary students. Take a look and let me know what you think.
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