| Thomashow (1996) suggests that environmental activists are particularly vulnerable to burnout due to their limited resources and the magnitude of the environmental crisis. This study uses a combination of Appreciative Inquiry, grounded theory and phenomenology within an ecofeminist theoretical framework to understand how environmental activists maintain their well-being. The research focuses on factors relating to burnout and factors that contribute to well-being. These themes are analyzed in the context of Thomashow's (1996) four types of environmental stress as well as Macy's (2007) four environmental worldviews. This study suggests that an integral approach to environmentalism that focuses on the health of the mind and body, as well as the sustainability of the inner and outer world, is needed to develop a more holistic paradigm of environmental activism. |
