Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism- What is it really all about?

By Emily T

When you hear of the major “Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism”, you probably picture a park ranger in a National Park, or maybe you imagine Leslie Knope from the show “Parks and Recreation” sitting at a desk in a government office. While these are two possible career paths to take with “Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism”, there is more to this major, and more opportunities than one may realize.

“Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism” is not a major one would be able to study at many colleges or universities, but Michigan State University is one of few schools to offer it. Michigan State's purpose of its sustainability program is to

.....educate scholars and practitioners who are able to create, integrate and harness new knowledge to protect and improve both social and natural systems

-Michigan State University Department of Sustainability

The mission of this department, at Michigan State and elsewhere, is to teach about our role in the environment and in communities, and to figure out how we can help others to take care of our earth.

A book definition of sustainability would be:

1.     the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed

2.    the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance

                 -Dictionary.com

These definitions cover the idea of sustainability in regard to figuring out our role in helping the environment, and preserving our earth for future generations. The specific major of “Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism” encompasses its own part of this mission. Careers with this major are steered toward nonprofit organizations (specifically with environmental preservation), environmental protection efforts in the government, park systems, camps, and with travelers and tourists. These fall under organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, camp directing, amusement parks, and even cruise lines. Done in many different ways, people who study "Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism focus on helping people to enjoy the environment and their communities, and also encouraging them to protect them.

Sources:

"Department of Community Sustainability." Department of Community Sustainability. Michigan State University, 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

Photos:

"Sustainability." - IGBP. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

"Wilderness.org." Hot Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.