What's new

Leave No Trace (LNT) is the most widely accepted minimum-impact programme worldwide. Critics say it ignores wider impacts that contribute to climate change and overlooks diverse world views. When students meet these critiques, they often either decide LNT is effective and the critics are misplaced, or decide LNT should be abandoned, and so avoid engaging deeply. The authors argue that LNT is a promising context for dialectical learning, where students engage with divergent articles and examples.

Why it matters in Aotearoa

Senior outdoor education and sustainability students in Aotearoa can use a familiar practice like LNT to work through contested questions about a sustainable future.

Putting it into practice

Give students two readings with opposing views on LNT and ask them to write a position that draws on both.

How strong is the evidence

The abstract presents an argued position on teaching and reports no empirical data.

What to read

The argument for dialectical approaches to teaching LNT.

Who it's for