Exploring the relationships between connection to nature, environmental stewardship, career aspirations, and identity

The environmental workforce remains largely White, despite calls to diversify. There exists a narrative that environmental education programs can enact change by cultivating Connection to Nature (CTN) among individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). We contend that more work is needed to understand the full range of factors that keep individuals who identify as BIPOC from environmental degree programs and careers. We conducted survey research to explore the relationships between CTN, stewardship towards the natural world, environmental career aspirations, and identity. We administered our survey to high school students enrolled in a federal college readiness program, called Upward Bound. Our results are important for environmental education programs to consider because they suggest that fostering CTN is a promising leverage point, but not a sufficient strategy on its own for supporting individuals who identify as BIPOC as they consider careers in the environmental fields.