Title
How Local Environmental Stewardship Diversifies Democracy
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2018
Publication Source
Local Environment
Abstract
Although recent studies have suggested that environmental participation may be a countertrend to decreasing civic engagement in the United States, there are very few empirical studies that examine these claims. This paper studies participation in local environmental stewardship as such a countertrend. Using data collected from participants in the Watershed Stewards Academies (WSAs) of Maryland, we assess how these organisations are successful in mobilising individuals to be environmentally and civically engaged in their communities. We argue that hybrid organisations like the WSAs represent a countertrend to diminishing rates of civic engagement by offering citizens what a “paper-membership” cannot: the chance to lead their own environmental restoration projects, create tangible change in their communities, and network with other like-minded individuals. These environmental programmes serve to diversify democracy at the local level, providing a unique form of civic engagement and enriching the connections between individual citizens and their civic communities.
Inclusive pages
431-447
ISBN/ISSN
1354-9839
Copyright
Copyright © 2018, Taylor & Francis
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Volume
23
Issue
4
Peer Reviewed
yes
Keywords
Civic engagement, environmental stewardship, mixed methods, environmental participation
Sponsoring Agency
Maryland Sea Grant, University of Maryland (NA14OAR4170090).
eCommons Citation
Yagatich, William; Robertson, Anya Galli; and Fisher, Dana R., "How Local Environmental Stewardship Diversifies Democracy" (2018). Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Faculty Publications. 75.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/soc_fac_pub/75
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