47

Address all correspondence to: Amos Ron, Department of Tourism and Hospitality
Studies, Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, M.P. Jordan Valley, Israel 15132. Tele-
phone: (972) 4-665-3795; Fax. (972) 4-665-3764. Email: amosron2@netvision.net.il.
Leisure/Loisir, 32(1) : 4764
2008 Ontario Research Council on Leisure
Eco-Leisure: Theory and Practice
Amos Ron
Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee
Amir Shani
University of Central Florida
Natan Uriely
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Abstract. This article looks at the phenomenon of eco-leisure, both in theory and in
practice. A distinction is made between eco-leisure and ecotourism, and it is suggested
that the academia needs to pay more attention to ecologically oriented leisure activities.
The paper presents examples of eco-leisure practice and suggests a working denition
of this new term. An explanation of the term is provided by elaborating on three of the
pivotal aspects of this phenomenon: the urban-rural context, the sociological aspects,
and the environmental aspects. The review of these aspects illustrates how eco-leisure
can contribute to the understanding of modern urban life and its leisure component. In
addition to the theoretical contribution of introducing the term and its meanings, eco-
leisure has a high potential for managerial and practical implications, especially the
improvement of life quality in the urban environment including the reduction of the ten-
sions and stress of contemporary urban reality.
Keywords. eco-leisure, ecotourism, environment, allotments, backyard birding
Rsum. Cet article examine le phnomne de lco-loisirs, par une approche thorique
et pratique. Une distinction est faite entre lco-loisirs et lcotourisme, et nous suggrons
que les milieux universitaires doivent prter beaucoup plus dattention aux loisirs ayant
lieux dans des environnements naturels. Le papier prsente des exemples dco-loisirs
et suggre une dnition fonctionnelle de ce nouveau terme. Une explication du terme
est fournie par llaboration sur trois aspects centraux de ce phnomne : le contexte ur-
bain et rural, les aspects sociologiques, et les aspects cologiques. Lexamen de chacun
de ces aspects illustre comment lco-loisir peut contribuer une vie urbaine saine. En
plus de la contribution thorique de ce terme, lco-loisir a des implications gestionnaires
et pratiques, particulirement en ce qui concerne lamlioration de la qualit de la vie
dans un milieu urbain et la rduction du stress.
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 47
Mots-clefs. co-loisirs, cotourisme, environnement, rpartition, lornithologie et les
arrire-cours.
Introduction
Ecological awareness is on the rise in many areas of life, and is also ap-
parent in tourism and leisure activities (Wearing & Neil, 1999). This
trend is also evident in the growing tourism academic literature around
concepts such as ecotourism, sustainable tourism, and green tourism
(Fennell, 1999; Font & Tribe, 2001; Weaver, 2006). Intriguingly, there is
no equivalent process in the eld of leisure studies, where activities that
involved environmental orientation have not yet received adequate atten-
tion.
This paper suggests that academic research needs to relate more ex-
tensively to ecologically oriented leisure activities, hence called eco-
leisure, as a result of their growing importance and popularity. This
phenomenon represents a grassroots protest against what appears like en-
vironmental injustices, and is an attempt to improve the interaction be-
tween man and nature, by creating a sustainable way of spending leisure
time, one that is also likely to enhance the social status of the eco-leisure
practitioners.
The current paper begins by making an attempt at understanding
the gap between the tourism and leisure-related elds of research, within
the context of ecologically oriented activities. In addition, it presents a
number of examples for eco-leisure practices, beyond the widely recog-
nized outdoor recreation activities, and suggests a working denition of
this new term. In order to explain the relevance and the importance of the
term, the paper elaborates on three of the pivotal aspects of this phe-
nomenon. First, the urban-rural context focuses on the need for a balance
between the intensive urban atmosphere, which is characterized by a de-
natured city-scape, and the green pastoral view of the country side. In this
context, eco-leisure is one of the means to achieve this goal, by making
it available and affordable for the wide public. Second, the sociological
aspects focus on the growing blur between tourism and leisure, in gen-
eral, and between ecotourism and eco-leisure, in particular. In addition,
still within the sociological context, eco-leisure may contribute to the de-
velopment of a social identity and is a way for people to express and
full themselves. Finally, the environmental aspects focus on the poten-
tial of eco-leisure to enhance the empathy man feels toward his sur-
roundings. The article ends with conclusions and implications for both
researchers and practitioners.
48 Leisure/ Loisir, Vol. 32 (2008)
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 48
Tourism and Leisure within an Ecological Context
One of the main aspects of the growing ecological awareness is found in
the well-established eld of ecotourism. The International Ecotourism So-
ciety denes ecotourism as responsible travel to natural areas that con-
serves the environment and improves the well-being of local people
(The International Ecotourism Society [TIES], 2006). A study undertaken
for the World Resources Institute found that this type of tourism is increas-
ing at an annual rate of 10%30% (Reingold, 1993, in Deng, King, &
Bauer, 2002).
In recent years, the eld of ecotourism has occupied the attention of
academic researchers, tourism entrepreneurs, governments (local and
national), communities, and environmental organizations (Fennell, 2001).
According to Blamey (2001), ecotourism has three major components:
it is based on natural settings; involves environmental and cultural edu-
cation; and is committed to operating under a responsible and sustainable
management. Ecotourism involves a wide range of activities, such as
learning about ecosystems and wildlife, local cultures, adventurous ac-
tivities, and even voluntary aid to third world countries (Horner & Swar-
brooke, 2004). As a sign of its importance, the United Nations declared
2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism, and in 2003 the Journal
of Ecotourism was launched.
In striking contrast to the impressive development of ecotourism,
both in theoretical and in empirical research, there is no equivalent
process in the eld of ecologically oriented leisure activities. The re-
search literature acknowledges ecological awareness, mainly in the con-
text of tourism, but to much lesser degree in relation to ecologically ori-
ented leisure activities.
The existing research that does refer to the ecological aspects of
leisure activities usually focuses on outdoor recreational activities, which
alternately are referred to both as leisure (e.g., Bjerk, Thrane, & Kleiven,
2006) and as tourism (e.g., Chhetri, Arrowsmith, & Jackson, 2004;
Mmopelwa, Kgathi, & Molefhe, 2007), and which are thus often lo-
cated within the grey area between the two disciplines. Even the deni-
tion suggested by Choy and Prineas (2006) of outdoor recreation as free
time activities that are participated in for their own sake and where the
experience is enhanced through interaction with an element of nature in
an outdoor setting (p. 87), can be seen as referring to tourist activities
as well. Outdoor recreation activities are an important part of social life
in Western society (Auger, 2004) and include, among other, visiting nat-
ural parks, beaches, camping, boating, motorized sport, hiking, shing,
and hunting.
Ron, Shani, & Uriely / Eco-Leisure: Theory and Practice 49
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 49
Indeed, many of the above activities are often attributed to strength-
ening and enhancing the participants sense of responsibility towards
the natural environment (Ewart, Place, & Sibthorp, 2005). In addition,
past research also examines the attitudes toward nature and the ecolog-
ical perceptions of leisure seekers as one of the factors that shape leisure
activities. For example, Wolch and Zhang (2004) found that attitudes
towards nature help shape decisions about spending leisure time at the
beach. White, Hall, and Farrell (2001) examined wilderness campers
perception and evaluation of campsite impacts on the physical environ-
ment. There are also references to active participation of vacationers in
wilderness recreation activities, who follow the minimum impact prin-
ciples (Grimwood, 2004). Yet, many of the outdoor recreational activi-
ties, whether motorized (e.g., four-wheel driving and motor boating) or
consumptive (e.g., hunting and shing) are not typically perceived as
reecting a deep concern toward the environment (Tarrant & Green,
1999).
Although we can see that attitudes towards nature are mentioned
and quantied as one of the factors inuencing leisure behaviour, the
leisure research literature tends to focus on outdoor recreation which, in
many cases, might also be classied as tourism. Such literature also typ-
ically ignores other leisure activities that reect a deep concern and com-
mitment towards the environment. One may ask why the link between
leisure and ecological awareness, apart from outdoor recreation, is rel-
atively marginal and loose in the research literature, as there are no se-
rious references to ecologically oriented leisure activities that are taking
place in urban settings or in ones neighbourhood or home environment.
Arguably, there could be two answers to this question.
The rst and less likely reason is that ecological awareness is di-
rected exclusively towards tourism rather than towards leisure, because
there are no ecologically oriented leisure activities. However, as will be
shown below, ecologically oriented leisure activities do exist, although
they receive very little academic attention. In addition, as has been sug-
gested by Swarbrooke (1996), since tourist preferences of destinations and
travel form are also shaped by daily behaviour, including leisure activi-
ties, it is argued that the growing sector of ecotourism is also a reection
of ecologically oriented leisure activities.
The second, and more probable reason, relates to the historical de-
velopment of both disciplines: tourism and leisure. Tourism was devel-
oped as an industry, involving various disciplines such as economics, ge-
ography, cultural studies, and sociology (Moore, Cushman, & Simmons,
50 Leisure/ Loisir, Vol. 32 (2008)
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 50
1995). In an article named The Scientication of Tourism Jafari (2001)
introduces the four major stages, or platforms, in the development of
the tourism industry. According to Jafari, the development of the tourism
industry was perceived at the beginningby the industry itselfin terms
of doing good (the advocacy platform). However, during the 1970s, the
academic world perceived these developments as potentially harmful to
the environment and to the cultures involved (the cautionary platform).
Examples of such research were conducted by Krippendorf (1987),
OGrady (1982), and Young (1973). These researches, and many others,
emphasized the irresponsible use of natural and cultural resources. Ignor-
ing the local populations and their needs and imposing tourism upon
them, were only a few of the common complaints against the tourism in-
dustry and its consequences (Wall, 2001). In response to the above-men-
tioned arguments, alternative tourism movements were established (the
adaptancy platform), which emphasized environmental and social sus-
tainability, the ethics of tourism, and the well-being of the host popula-
tion. The academic community also took part in the process of establish-
ing responsible and just tourism (e.g., Hultsman, 1995), by carrying out
research that promoted both conceptual developments and practices in the
elds of sustainable tourism, in general, and of ecotourism, in particu-
lar (e.g., Boyd & Butler, 1996; Hunter, 1997). Gradually, a knowledge-
based distinction was made between good, or responsible tourism (the
knowledge-based platform), and bad, or irresponsible tourism.
Leisure, on the other hand, was developed as a welfare ideology, fo-
cusing on the physical and mental well-being of the individuals who en-
gage in it, mainly in the context of gender, class, and race relations. Ac-
cording to Moore et al. (1995: 78), while tourism research has developed
as a response to industry needs, it is probably true to say that research
into leisure and recreation was originally motivated (and continues to be)
by welfare concerns. In other words, leisure was regarded less as an
industrial and economic activity, but rather in terms of public good and
social benets to the individual and the community.
Since leisure was hardly regarded as an industry, there was no need
for the development of protest research literature, as it had been the case
for tourism (and many other outdoor recreation activities). The leisure ac-
tivity was commonly perceived as a positive contribution to society, and
the main concern was to examine its just distribution between the gen-
ders, classes, and races that made up the society. However, it is sug-
gested that ecological movements also have an inuence on leisure ac-
tivities, and therefore need to be taken into consideration.
Ron, Shani, & Uriely / Eco-Leisure: Theory and Practice 51
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 51
The Eco-Leisure Experience
As mentioned above, the research literature hardly links urban or home-
based leisure activities, which are not perceived to be outdoor recreation
activities, to ecological motivations. In some cases, the literature does dis-
cuss these activities, but not within an ecological context. For example,
allotment holding has been recognized as an important leisure activity
(Crouch, 2003). An allotment is dened by Websters dictionary as a
small piece of land let or assigned to an individual (usually by the town
council) for cultivation as a family garden (Gove, 1966).
It has been recognized that allotments enable urban residents to ob-
tain access to land cultivation as part of their routine urban life, while
avoiding long-distance traveling. This phenomenon has usually been de-
scribed and interpreted in terms of self-expression of the plotters and in
terms of their creation of social-ethnic communities (Bassett, 1981;
Crouch, 2003; Crouch, & Ward, 1997). However, Uriely and Ron (2004),
in their study of the Sataf Village allotments in Israel, identied a strong
ecological ideology among the plotters, which served as an important mo-
tivation for engaging in the activity. This ideology has three compo-
nents: the rst is the notion of a back to nature feeling, accompanied
by a desire to nd in plotting a refuge from the intensity of urban life; the
second component is the desire and the ability to produce organic food,
which is perceived as healthier than industrially produced food; the third
componentand perhaps the most important one in the context of eco-
leisureis the plotters motivation to prevent the urban expansion of
Jerusalem by having allotments just outside the city, thereby preserving
the rural landscape. To the best of our knowledge, it was the rst time that
a connection was established between a familiar and a well-researched
leisure activity and the unfamiliar term of eco-leisure.
It is reasonable to assume that allotment holding is not the only
urban eco-leisure activity. It is argued that other leisure activities, such
as backyard birding, for example, can also be categorized as eco-leisure
activities. Bird-watching is a well-known and established ecotourism
activity (Kim, Scott, & Crompton, 1997). However, backyard birding, a
popular practice throughout many Western countries, has received no
academic attention. Backyard birding is a term describing the observing
and feeding of birds in the home environment, while creating protected
and comfortable nesting conditions. According to a non-academic source,
a considerable number of Americans practice backyard birding regu-
larly (http://baltimorebirdclub.org/ ). As a result, a number of commer-
cial outlets were established to serve those who wish to construct bird
52 Leisure/ Loisir, Vol. 32 (2008)
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 52
feeding stations at home (Orams, 2002). The communication between
backyard birders, as reected in relevant web sites (e.g., http://birding
.about .com/), emphasizes a deep concern for the wellbeing of the birds,
thus focusing on the ecological context. However, there is a need for
further empirical research in order to verify the ecological orientation of
backyard birders.
Birds are not the only animals attracting the eco-leisurist. For ex-
ample, the Backyard Wildlife Habitat organization website encourages
people to establish a relationship (feeding, watching) with several other
kinds of animals such as mammals, reptiles, and insects, all in their home
environment (http://www.nwf.org/ backyardwildlifehabitat/ ). These ex-
amples, among others, indicate that we are dealing with a phenomenon
that deserves more attention, also since eco-leisure settings could possi-
bly have signicant social and economic implications for individuals,
communities, and the environment.
Being a new term, eco-leisure still lacks a denition. The attempt
to dene it is more than a simple intellectual exercise. Ellis and Witt
(1990, in Parr & Lashua, 2004) noted that denitions of leisure have an
impact on how recreation practitioners conceptualize and implement
services. We hereby suggest the following denition for the term eco-
leisure: An outdoor activity, related to the theme of nature, practiced by
individuals and groups in their free perceived time, involving an environ-
mental-ideological motivation, which is integrated into a routinized way
of life and aimed at contributing to both physical and human surround-
ings.
This denition comprises the following six key components:
Environmental-ideological motivation Eco-leisure seems to be more
ideologically oriented than many other leisure activities. The eco-leisurist
is guided by a desire to improve his/her habits in the sense of taking
greater consideration and care of the environment. As it is argued about
eco-tourists (Munt, 1994), eco-leisurists strive to strengthen their image
as modern, updated people who care about Mother Earth and will not
harm the environment. By doing so, the eco-leisurist acquires symbolic
capital and improves his/her social status.
The theme of nature Ecotourism is usually regarded as taking place
in nature settings (Blamey, 2001; Fennel, 2001). However, West, and
Carrier (2004) emphasize that such activities take place in what is seen
as natural environment, thus suggesting that ecotourism can occur in un-
real nature as well. A well-known geographical distinction is the one
made between natural landscapes and cultural landscapes (e.g., Frenkel,
Ron, Shani, & Uriely / Eco-Leisure: Theory and Practice 53
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 53
2002; Mikesell, 1968), where the former refer to landscapes that are rel-
atively uninterrupted by human activity, and the latter refer to landscapes
that have been changed and shaped by men. It is argued that most eco-
leisure activities take place in cultural landscapes that have a nature-re-
lated theme, which are in fact examples of man-made nature. In the con-
text of eco-leisure, examples of man-made nature include green public
parks, home gardens, and allotments.
To conclude, the eco-leisurist is indeed attracted to the theme of na-
ture but, in most cases, his or her activities take place in natural sur-
roundings that are shaped or constructed by man.
Contribution to the social and physical environments Research
shows that being in a nature setting greatly contributes to the wellbeing
of the participants. For example, in their survey on environmental psy-
chology, Sundstrom, Bell, Busby, and Asmus (1996) discovered that
being in a nature setting has a calming effect on people under stress. In-
terestingly, Butryn and Furst (2003) found no signicant differences be-
tween mood states of urban runners and natural park runners. We see,
therefore, that the effects of the natural environment on people are not en-
tirely understood.
Eco-leisure activities are usually regarded as contributing positively
to those who engage in them, although one can question the environ-
mental contribution of eco-leisure activities to the physical surround-
ings. For example, an urban allotment can alteralbeit unintentionally
the existing biological equilibrium, pollute ground water, and attract
insects and pests. Therefore, when referring to eco-leisure, the relevant
emphasis should be on human motivation rather than on the actual ben-
ets to the environment.
Outdoor activity This component should be understood in a broad
geographical sense. The eco-leisure activity can be practiced in ones
back yard or home garden, in the surrounding neighbourhood, or even in
a nearby town. For example, backyard birders observe birds in the home
environments, sometimes while standing inside a room and observing the
birds outside. Plotting can take place very near to ones home, as it is the
case in Philadelphia, where in order to get an allotment, the plotter must
live within a maximum distance of three city blocks from the allotment
(Personal observation of the rst author, July 2004). Finally, about one
fourth of the Sataf plotters live in various locations, all of them approx-
imately an hours drive away from their allotment (Uriely & Ron, 2004).
However, it is argued that the eco-leisure practice occurs in the familiar
and safe territorial space of the eco-leisurist. By comparison, the eco-
54 Leisure/ Loisir, Vol. 32 (2008)
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 54
tourist is usually engaged in visits to unfamiliar places and, in most
cases, these are one-time visits. One must remember that even occa-
sional visits of plotters to one hour-away allotments are to familiar spaces.
Routinized way of life Tourism is often perceived as a non-rou-
tinized activity, and as a break from the rhythm of everyday life (Cohen,
1972; Cohen, 1979; MacCannell, 1976). Being in a different physical
environment, seeing different cultures, and just getting away from it
all are perceived as essential to the tourist experience. Leisure activities
can be either routinized or non-routinized. Since many eco-leisure prac-
tices are regarded as ideologically motivated, they tend to be integrated
into the everyday way of life and are therefore often repetitive. Having
an allotment, as an example, must involve frequent care and work, which
implies routinization. However, eco-leisure can be non-routinized as
well. Joining a voluntary environmental activity such as coastal cleaning
is an ideologically motivated eco-leisure practice that can be carried out
on an irregular basis. Although a specic eco-leisure activity is not always
routinized, the high ideological level of commitment calls for a way of
life that is marked by a series of activities which, together, form an eco-
logical entity.
Free perceived time Leisure was traditionally regarded as an ac-
tivity that takes place during ones free time. Furthermore, free time was
considered as non-work time. However, recent studies indicate that
there is a growing blur between work, leisure, and tourist activities (e.g.,
Urielys study about working tourists and tourist workers, 2001). Poria,
Butler, and Airey (2003) argued that the tourists perception of time as free
or not free is subjective and depends greatly on personality and circum-
stances. In the context of eco-leisure, such activities can and do take
place not only in the non-work environment (time and space), but also
in the work time and space. For example, a person who voluntarily main-
tains an organic vegetable garden at his/her work place is in fact practic-
ing eco-leisure.
To conclude, this is the rst time that a denition of the new term eco-
leisure is suggested. The denition clearly includes many of the outdoor
recreation activities; however, it excludes clear tourist activities and ac-
tivities that do not derive from environmental ideology or concern for na-
ture (i.e., the existence of the element of nature, like in the case of mo-
torized and consumptive leisure activities, is insufcient to be termed
eco-leisure). In addition, it consists of leisure activities that take place
in urban and home-based settings, which is integrated into ones rou-
Ron, Shani, & Uriely / Eco-Leisure: Theory and Practice 55
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 55
tine. Of course, as research on this topic develops, one can expect further
developments of the denition and its components. In addition, there is
a need for additional practical examples in order to establish this area of
research.
The Meaning of Eco-Leisure
The UrbanRural Context
Relations between city and country have been very dynamic in the past
one and a half centuries. The industrial revolution in Great-Britain encour-
aged migration from villages to cities, but the new urban reality was, in
many cases, harsh, gloomy, and polluted (Cosgrove, 1984).
The polluted nineteenth-century cities were both unpleasant and un-
healthy, and gradually, three solutions to this problem were developed and
adopted. The rst one was the possibility of leaving the cities for a lim-
ited period of time, and British seaside resorts were developed in this con-
text. Urry (2002) mentions that the development of a railway system
and the democratization of travel enhanced the process, and by 1938,
when the Holidays Act was inaugurated, taking a train to a local seaside
resort was common practice among the British urban working class.
The second solution was the development of large city parks (for
example Central Park in New York City) and the conversion of existing
gentry and royal gardens into public parks (for example Regents Park in
London), thus enabling the public to use them in the context of leisure
(Connell, 2003; Goode, 1986). According to Jackson (1984), the parks
helped overcome socio-economic gaps and differences between people,
as they were used by members of all social classes.
The third solution was the establishment of the Garden City Move-
ment by Ebenezer Howard in 1898. In a book titled Garden Cities of To-
morrow (1965) Howard suggested a compromise between the under-
developed, poverty-stricken, rural settings, and the new polluted alienated
urban settings, by creating new Group of Slumless Smokeless Cities
that would have a very large proportion of municipally controlled green
areas. In the words of Howard himself, his idea was based on the view
that Town and Country must be married, and out of this joyous union
will spring a new hope, a new life, a new civilization (Howard, 1898, in
Fishman, 1988: 23). His ideas were put into practice by establishing a very
inuential architectural movement called The Garden City Movement
and the creation of two British townsWelwyn Garden City and Letch-
worth.
The rst solutionthe development of tourismreects a desire to
solve the problem outside the city. The second and third solutionsparks
56 Leisure/ Loisir, Vol. 32 (2008)
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 56
and garden city environmentsreect the desire to improve the urban set-
ting itself; however, these solutions are top-down by their nature, be-
cause of their massive scale, and since they require the involvement of
the establishment.
All the above mentioned solutions reect the ongoing tension between
city and country, but it is suggested here that eco-leisure activities are a
fourth solution. These activities are usually small in scale, grassroots by
their nature, involving individuals and small communities. They are per-
formed mainly in an urban context and can be regarded as a grassroots
social-environmental movement. It is the individuals and small local
communities compromise between city and country.
This fourth solution is well expressed in the above mentioned eco-
leisure examples of allotment holding and backyard birding. Cultivating
city gardens and backyard birding are repetitive acts of attachment to, and
adoration of nature, while being surrounded by an urban environment.
Practicing eco-leisure within the city enables one to belong to both
worlds and enjoy the best of each. It can be assumed that eco-leisure
activities do not replace any of the above mentioned solutions, but rather
contribute to the attempts to narrow the physical and emotional gaps
between the urban and rural experiences.
Sociological Aspects
Travel has been a marker of social class since the days of the Romans
search for the Seven Wonders of the World (Perrottet, 2002). Munt (1994)
draws our attention to the idea that in contemporary societies, travel in
general, and ecotourism in particular, are important indicators of ones
social class. He claims that holidays have become important commodi-
ties through which the new middle class are able to proclaim their worldly
status. Quoting The Observer, Munt (1994) draws our attention to the fact
that ecotourism does not yet appear in the dictionary, but if you want
to impress at your next dinner party [by using the word ecotourism], its
a dead cert. (p. 50); these new eco-tourists are older and profes-
sionally successful, the cream of Manhattan and the City (p. 50) and,
in a play on words, he suggests calling them ego-tourists.
Following Munt, an interesting issue is whether those practising
eco-leisure are ego-leisurists. With regards to allotmentsCrouch
gives an example of allotments that are created and maintained by immi-
grants from Bangladesh (Crouch, 2003)it seems that Munts descrip-
tion of the cream of Manhattan and the City would not apply, mainly
because one can assume that their inner motivations are to maintain and
preserve their ethnic heritage. However, in the context of urban allot-
Ron, Shani, & Uriely / Eco-Leisure: Theory and Practice 57
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 57
ments, some example of Munts statement can be found. According to an
article in The New York Times, the singer and Hollywood star Bette Mi-
dler spends large amounts of money on buying neglected neighbour-
hood gardens for the purpose of creating allotments and, in one partic-
ular case, she officially named an allotment Maggies Garden in a
dedication ceremony attended by President Bill Clinton (Clines, 2005).
One can imagine to what extent such a celebrity allotment can con-
tribute to the social status and cultural capital of the plotters and of the
entire neighbourhood. Clearly, there is a need for further research in
order to verify the connection between eco-leisure activities and social
status.
Another sociological aspect relates to the modern and postmodern
discourses within the sociology of tourism (Urry, 2002; Wang, 2000). Ac-
cording to Uriely (2005), one of the important developments in the shift
from modern to postmodern approaches in the tourism research literature
is the de-differentiation of the tourist experience from everyday life.
While early conceptualizations of the tourist experience emphasize its dis-
tinctiveness from everyday life (e.g., Cohen, 1972, 1979; Smith, 1978),
recent conceptualizations stress that the postmodern condition involves
a blur between tourism and everyday life. Lash and Urry (1994) referred
to this phenomenon as the end of tourism. Specically, they argue that
experiences that were once conned to tourismincluding the enjoy-
ment of gazing at distant sights and the pleasure of engaging in aspects
of other culturesare currently accessible in various contexts of every-
day life. According to this idea, many tourist-related experiences are
currently reachable without having to travel (Uriely, 2005). It appears that
the practice of eco-leisure illustrates this trend by making what was once
considered to be exclusively tourist activitiessuch as spending time in
natural surroundings, bird watching, and animal feedingavailable and
accessible also in everyday life surroundings.
Environmental Aspects
According to Cohen (1976), the way we perceive the environment de-
pends largely on what we are looking for. Accordingly, he developed a
conceptual framework which introduces the main ways in which we per-
ceive the environment. His typology consists of four environmental ori-
entations: instrumental, territorial, sentimental, and symbolic. The rst
two orientations relate to the environment as a tool to achieve technolog-
ical and economic goals (the instrumental orientation), and political and
strategic goals (the territorial orientation). The two most relevant envi-
ronmental orientations in the context of eco-leisure are the other two.
58 Leisure/ Loisir, Vol. 32 (2008)
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 58
The sentimental orientation refers to space in terms of attachment.
According to Cohen, this orientation consists of two sub-orientations: the
primordial sub-orientation, which relates to the environment in terms
of a strong sense of belonging; and the prestige sub-orientation, which
relates to the environment in terms of social evaluation. Those who prac-
tice eco-leisure may refer to their activity as a way to form and enhance
a relationship with their natural surroundings, in other words, to estab-
lish a sense of place (Tuan, 1977; Tuan, 1980). The geographical mean-
ings of sense of place include, among others, ones attachment to a place,
the sense of belonging to ones surrounding, the attributed signicance
of the place to the person and ones commitment and sensitivity to the eco-
logical conditions (Jorgensen & Stedman, 2001; Stedman, 2002).
It is argued here that eco-leisure activities are likely to reect ones
strong sense of place, and help to further develop and maintain ones
commitment to the environment. In addition, the eco-leisurist may not re-
gard his activities as purely ideological and altruistic, but also as a way
of expressing his social status and of gaining prestige among his ac-
quaintances. The two above mentioned sub-orientations can, but do not
necessarily, coexist within the same person.
The fourth orientation is also relevant in order to understand the
motivations of the eco-leisurists. The symbolic orientation relates to the
environment in terms of its symbolic signicance for an individual, a
group or a society. In Cohens words, Points in space or environmental
features are endowed with symbolic signicance if they mean something
to the individual, i.e., express or represents his values (1976, 56). One
of the conclusions reached by Uriely and Ron (2004) on the Sataf allot-
ments is that most of the plotters attached great value to the rural envi-
ronment, in terms of both aesthetic values (the aesthetic sub-orienta-
tion) and morality (the moral-religious sub-orientation).
Conclusions and Implications
The aim of this paper was to describe a phenomenon which, to this day,
has received little academic attention, despite its importance in theoret-
ical and practical terms. In addition, a working denition of eco-leisure
was suggested, followed by three important aspects of the phenomenon:
the urban-rural context, sociological aspects, and environmental aspects.
The review of those aspects illustrates how eco-leisure can contribute to
the understanding of modern urban life and its leisure component. In
addition to the theoretical contribution of suggesting and developing the
term and its meanings, eco-leisure has a high potential for managerial and
Ron, Shani, & Uriely / Eco-Leisure: Theory and Practice 59
03_Ron 3/28/08 8:20 Page 59
practical implications, especially towards improving the quality of life in
the urban environment.
As was suggested by Parr and Lashua (2004), the introduction of new
terms, followed by researchboth case studies and theoretical develop-
mentscan impact on the policy-makers decisions in the eld of leisure.
Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that such research can impact on
urban planning of leisure spaces and environments. For example, if fu-
ture empirical research shows the contribution of such environments to
the quality of life, perhaps larger budgets, both private and public, will
be made available to the development of eco-leisure environments, con-
sequently reducing the tension and stress of contemporary urban reality.
Exploring the potential of eco-leisure and its wide-spread popular-
ity can also lead to the development of related business enterprises. For
example, allotments and backyard birding activities require the purchas-
ing of related products and services such as real estate, lectures, relevant
literature, agricultural tools and equipment, dovecotes, bird tables, and
animal food.
Clearly, there is a need for further academic research in order to
reach a deeper understanding of the nature of the eco-leisure experi-
ence. The shortcoming of this research is the relatively limited scope of
examples, besides ecologically oriented outdoor recreation. In light of the
growing public interest in environment-related issues, such as ecotourism,
green consumerism, waste management, socially responsible corpora-
tions, and more, these movements also call for examining the interfaces
between environmentalism and leisure.
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