Benefits, motivations, and barriers related to environmental volunteerism for older adults: developing a research agenda
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Updated: May 30, 2026

Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
Published on: July 27, 2018
Lori J Bushway1, Janis L Dickinson, Richard C Stedman
1Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. bushway@cornell.edu
Abstract:
Interest in civic engagement focused on the natural environment has grown dramatically, as has the population of older adults. Our article explores the potential for increased environmental volunteerism among older adults to enrich the lives of volunteers while benefitting the community and environmental quality. Curiously, this convergence has been relatively neglected by researchers and program developers. We review existing literatures on trends in volunteerism, motivations, benefits, and barriers to participation, with a special focus on elements most relevant to older adults. Based on this review, we identify a number of critical areas of research, and pose key research questions.
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