Title: Tracking Pow(d)er: Outdoor Sport, Environmental (Re)Creation, And the Politics of Nature
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Brian Wilson
Committee Members: Dr. Andrea Bundon, Dr. Liv Yoon
Chair: Dr. Shannon Bredin
Abstract: Climate change is among the largest crises faced by modern society. Despite significant climatic impacts on the outdoor sports industry, environmental leadership from this industry has been fragmented over time – although responses from industry members and athletes have increased in recent years (Orr, 2024). For industries that have engaged in pro-environment activity, there appears to be, at times, a concerning gap between the stated intentions of sport-related organizations when it comes to addressing climate change-related issues and their actual environment-related actions and impacts (Miller, 2017). Although the body of research in this realm is growing, research on the types and number of messages conveyed by and through the outdoor sports industry concerning environmental issues – and climate change in particular – is limited (Hutchins et al., 2021). There is a related scarcity of research on how members of the outdoor sports industry understand and respond to such messages, especially in relation to calls for pro-environment changes in industry behaviour. This proposal outlines three interrelated studies that together probe the complex issues at play in relationships between outdoor sports and environmental issues, with a particular focus on the environment-related messages that circulate in and around sport and how these are (and might be) understood by their audiences. The first study, a critical discourse analysis of Warren Miller ski films – a prominent form of skiing-related ‘docu-tainment’ – seeks to answer the following questions: How is the environment, including human-‘nature’ relationships, represented in Warren Miller ski films, and; to what extent are messages concerning the environment and/or climate change featured in these films? The second study, a visual ethnography of environment-related signage on and around ski hills and venues at Whistler-Blackcomb, explores the following questions: what types of environment-related messaging are present on and around Whistler Blackcomb ski resort; and, what assumptions about the environment and environmental issues (e.g., about ‘best practices’ for addressing environmental issues) are reinforced and/or challenged through this messaging? The third study explores perceptions of a sport-related decarbonization strategy (i.e., the use of electric outboard motors instead of gas-powered motors on boats used to accompany rowers at rowing clubs) amongst those involved in the management of rowing clubs around British Columbia. Questions explored include: what are the enablers for, and barriers to, adopting electric outboard motors?; what supports could be offered that would make it more likely that rowing clubs would commit to adopting electric outboard motors?; and, what can be learned from those already using electric motors that could be helpful for recruiting others? The studies engage with a range of theories within a Political Ecology framework, including human-centric ecological modernist approaches to addressing environmental issues through innovation and technological advancements, and new materialist approaches that highlight interconnections between human and more-than-human worlds. The dissertation research was designed with the broader aims of: (a) identifying how environmental issues and proposed pro-environment changes are portrayed and understood in the realm of outdoor sports, and; (b) using findings to inform critical environmental education and communication initiatives designed to promote pro-environment change in and through outdoor sports.