Welcome to The New Outdoors
A brand new Medium publication on a mission
Our mission
The purpose of The New Outdoors is to build community, enhance understanding, and foster positive change. We focus on the connections between the natural world, outdoor experiences, environmental advocacy, health, fitness, psychology, and spirituality. We share ideas that can improve our wellness, help us become better stewards, and improve access to the outdoors for all. In this age of information overload, our goal is quality rather than quantity.
There are already a number of quality outdoor publications on Medium. The idea for The New Outdoors comes from the realization that articles related to the new outdoor movement didn’t have a specialized home. A powerful synergy can be gained by having these articles appear side-by-side. Not having to compete with the “How I Made $1,000 in my first month on Medium” articles is always a plus. We see The New Outdoors as a leg of a shared journey. We welcome you to join us by following our publication and submitting stories. We travel together for a while; we do not yet know how far we will go or for how long.
How we‘re different
We’re not your traditional outdoor publication. We publish stories about the outdoors, outdoor gear, and outdoor adventure but with a twist. The twist is that we situate ourselves at the nexus of cutting-edge brain & nature science, environmental advocacy, awe theory, fitness, health, psychology, and self-help. This is the “new” in the New Outdoors.
What we publish
Articles that contribute something new.
This may be writing that stems from personal experience. This may be writing based on research. In either case, your unique insights are what add value and make it worthwhile.
Articles that fit one of our topic areas and make connections to nature and the outdoors:
Fitness: These are articles about how outdoor experiences can enhance fitness and well-being in ways that indoor workouts cannot.
Health: These are articles about how outdoor experiences can enhance physical and mental well-being.
Awe: These are articles about outdoor experiences that involve the experience of awe — feelings of profound connection to self, to nature, and to others.
Stewardship: These are articles that promote reducing our footprint, caring for natural environments, and protecting the creatures within them. We believe getting people outdoors is — in the long run — good for the planet too.
Inspiration: These are articles about outdoor experiences that inspire others to spend more time outdoors. These experiences may be as simple as stepping into the backyard to gaze at the stars or as elaborate as multi-day adventures in the wilderness.
How To: These are articles about gear, techniques, or practices that enable or deepen our experience of nature. Or they may be public policy or environmental education pieces focused on conservation or increasing access to the outdoors for all.
Writing for this fledgling publication is an opportunity to help shape what The New Outdoors can be. If you’d like to be added as a writer and to contribute articles, please see “Submit to the New Outdoors.”
We look forward to having you join us!
