About Us

The Outdoor Rec Industry SIG (ORec SIG) aims to provide a space for YSE students to discuss the future of the outdoor industry, diving into its impacts and opportunities for environmental, economic and social benefit. This may include historic narratives on who recreates outside and why, the role of private companies (Patagonia, REI, The North Face, etc.), public land management policy (National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, etc.) as well as nonprofits that connect communities of all types to the outdoors. Topics for the SIG will cover sustainability in supply chains, innovations in materials, opportunities for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in outdoor spaces, economic development in the rural United States, and others. Additionally, confronting racism both within Yale and in the outdoor recreation industry at large is central to the mission of ORec SIG. Additionally, ORec SIG notes that the ability of people across the country to enjoy time outside is enabled by land that was stolen from Indigenous peoples.  ORec SIG seeks student contributors to the "New Directions in Outdoor Recreation" publication, which showcases student writing on various aspects of the Outdoor Recreation Industry. https://medium.com/new-directions-in-outdoor-recreation-at-yale-fes In addition, OREC SIG will organize outdoor recreation excursions and opportunities for the YSE community.