Details of the Initiative
Meiji University conducts “camp” as a physical education activity.
The goal of this training is to “learn about the knowledge, skills, and manners to carry out activities safely while camping in a natural environment, recognize the diversity of nature and peers, and discover new things about yourself.” It can be said that this training is a subject that directly deals with Target 12.8: “ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.”
For example, we engage in activities with less damage to nature, such as not collecting natural animals and plants during the activities and not going off trail when mountaineering. In outdoor cooking, we reduce the use of water, wash dishes after wiping off the remaining liquid and oil to prevent water contamination, and use detergents made from natural materials. There are also some settings in which we raise gender awareness. In using fire to cook, men tend to do the fire making and women tend to do the cooking, but we dare to make time to change the roles so that we can have a chance to think about gender equality.
Camping offers many opportunities to think about the SDGs through communal living in nature. We hope to see further results.
