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Copyright 2002 Team Building in the Wilderness
Wilderness Ethics Corporate teams do not, usually, have to worry about the disposal of their own bodily wastes. Teams in the wilderness have to make group decisions not only about urine and feces, but also about used tampons, apple cores, potato peelings, gray water, and candy wrappers. Teams in the wilderness have to make group decisions about whether to have a single group latrine or let everyone dig an individual cat hole for each use. Teams in the wilderness have to make group decisions about whether to bathe in that cold clear stream or to fill up a water bottle and take a sponge bath with a bandana 200 feet away. Teams in the wilderness have to make group decisions about whether they will follow all the same path every time they go to the spring or they will each take a different path each time they go. Sometimes these are difficult decisions, juggling questions of ethics, urgency, comfort, enjoyment, and convenience (on wilderness ethics and leave-no-trace hiking generally, see Hampton & Cole, 1995; Harmon, 1997; McGivney, 1998). These decisions as mundane as they appear can be crucial in forging a group identity and building a wilderness team. Discussion of these issues is a way of fostering inclusion that is, letting each team member know that individual actions affect the entire group. Is it right to toss away an apple core in high desert pi๑on pine country? The apple core is biodegradable, but it is alien to the environment. The discussion may not be productive of a definitive answer I would be surprised if it was but it leads team members to express and explore their values, and to realize that those individual values helps define them as a team. References Hampton, B., & Cole, D. (1995). Soft paths: How to enjoy the wilderness without harming it. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole. Harmon, W. (1997). Leave no trace: Minimum impact outdoor recreation. Helena, MT: Falcon. McGivney, A. (1998). Leave no trace: A practical guide to the new wilderness ethic. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers. < Previous Next > | |||||
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