Environmental Studies Commons^™

White Guy Hiking: How I Learned To Think Critically About My Ecological Identity, Nick Engelfried

Summit to Salish Sea: Inquiries and Essays

Our encounters with the “natural” world are made possible by a complex of historical, political, social, and economic forces that shape each person’s ecological identity, or the way in which we relate to nature. I grew up in a White, middle-class family with easy access to green spaces, and this contributed to my growing up to become an environmental activist and educator. I now realize the doors which opened to allow me to embark on this path did not do so by chance and that many other people are prevented from engaging with nature in the ways I did as …