ENS 285 Outdoors: Sustainability, Inclusivity, and Risk
In this class, we will focus on experiencing the outdoors that the Tahoe area is famous for (in January: skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, camping; in May-June: paddling, hiking, camping, biking), but also interrogating these experiences from at least three lenses: sustainability, inclusivity, and risk. First, sustainability: what are the life cycles of the stuff that we use for outdoor experiences, and how do these life cycles have impacts on distant others? We will examine the stories of our outdoor stuff, and hear from people who work in the outdoor industry about their sustainability efforts. Second, inclusivity and equity: who has access to the outdoors, who feels included in outdoor experiences, and whose identities need support to feel comfortable in outdoor adventure? Students will investigate the various ways that demographics, identity, and ability play into outdoor life. Third, risk: part of why we like outdoor experiences may be the uncontrollable and always new experiences that nature offers, but it means we must find ways to play in nature safely, so how do we do that? As part of this class, students will learn Wilderness First Aid, and potentially another outdoor safety module (depending on time of year, swiftwater rescue, or similar).