The book that started a national conversation about the gulf between our kids and nature.

The recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal, Richard Louv identified a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn't quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. Since its initial publication, Last Child in the Woods has created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. Now, three years later, we have reached a tipping point, with the book inspiring Leave No Child Inside initiatives throughout the country

Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.   

Blame it on shrinking green space, overscheduling by families, the pull of technology -- the result is limiting the potential of today's children.  Louv brings together anecdotal evidence gathered from years of traveling the United States and talking to kids, as well as the most comprehensive research on nature and its benefits. He concludes that the absence of nature in many children's lives drives the problems they increasingly face, such as obesity, ADD, depression and stress. Louv posits that exposure to nature can help prevent these ills and enhance our children's academic and emotional growth.  More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond – right in our own backyards.

More on Children and Nature Field Notes From the Future, A Blog by Richard Louv These selected articles and recent writngs by the author expand on events and initiatives in the children and nature movement, its leadership, strategies and vision for the future.

More on Environment and Nature Emerald Cities: An American Prospect Special Report The Promise of Green Development Green Economy: After Oil: An American Prospect Special Report The economic and political promise of a post petroleum society The Environment: Death and Rebirth: An American Prospect Special Report Changing our energy policy would have immense global effects--environmental, economic, and social

Review: Last Child in the Woods (NRDC) Louv gently chides environmental organizations for neglecting this crisis in the American childhood -- this lack of intimacy with nature -- in favor of the more "serious adult work of saving the world." We ignore children at our peril. Their disaffection from nature could be the politics of the future. Their goodwill could be what truly saves the world. Conservationists can even be part of the problem. One of the most accepted roles of environmental education -- teaching children about the imminent threats of pollution and extinction -- may be counterproductive. One of Louv's experts, David Sobel, author of Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education, uses the analogy of physical and sexual abuse, which causes children to dissociate from pain. Similarly, Sobel worries that fearful and emotional stories about the destruction of the rainforest and how "the natural world is being abused" distance children from that particular pain. Some educators believe we should first focus a child's attention on the joy and wonder of local natural history, studying squirrels and milkweed before jaguars and epiphytes. Louv advises parents to slow down and enjoy nature with their children, perhaps by simply taking a walk in the neighborhood or gardening. ... (Read the full review.)

Review: Last Child in the Woods (Christian Science Monitor) ...Yet Louv remains optimistic that the trend toward the "de-naturing of childhood" can be changed, or at least slowed. Doing so will require a diverse army of parents, teachers, city planners, leaders of youth nature programs, and environmentalists. Even employers can help by giving parents flexible summer work hours. That in turn could encourage families to introduce children to nature through gardening, camping, and birding. Louv calls for a nationwide review of laws governing private land and recreation, especially those involving children. But he concedes that dealing with the legal tangle of outdoor play will present a difficult challenge. The rewards for such efforts will be manifold. "Nature - the sublime, the harsh, and the beautiful - offers something that the street or gated community or computer game cannot," Louv states. "Nature presents the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity." The book occasionally feels repetitious. But, as Louv so eloquently and urgently shows, our mothers were right when they told us, day after day, "Go out and play." (Read the full review.)

Richard Louv, a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, has written for national publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Christian Science Monitor, and has appeared on Good Morning America, Today, and NPR’s Fresh Air and Talk of the Nation. He is the author of seven books about family, nature, and community.

Interview with Richard Louv (Grist) Q. What led you to this particular subject? A. This is my seventh book, and the second was called Childhood's Future. I went across the country to interview 3,000 parents and kids about the landscape of family life, which was radically changing. One theme that surprised me was this sense that something profound was changing in the relationship between children and nature. One little boy said the reason he preferred playing indoors was that's where all the electrical outlets are. I heard that kind of thing over and over. And the parents were saying, "I don't understand -- how come the kids won't go outside?" The chapter I wrote about it got picked up by Sierra Magazine and Utne Reader. Over the years I did some other books, but I kept watching the research on this. The empirical evidence for the split between children and nature is thin because longitudinal studies don't exist for the most part. Nobody thought to ask the question. We always assumed this relationship [between kids and nature] would be ongoing. Some of the researchers were referring to my chapter as anecdotal evidence, and I thought, if I'm an expert on this we're really in trouble. ... (Read the full interview.)

Get Involved and Take Action Connecting Kids to Nature Host a child through the Fresh Air Fund Through The Fund’s Friendly Town Program, close to 5,000 New York City children visit volunteer host families each summer in rural and suburban communities. Become part of the Children & Nature Network and learn how to help kids across the country C&NN was created to encourage and support people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. Contact your congressperson about supporting the No Child Left Inside Act (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) The legislation strengthens and expands environmental education in America's classrooms and reconnects children with nature.

Get Involved and Take Action on Education Join Campus Progress to fight for college affordability Push to make college more accessible and affordable for everyone by cutting interest rates on student loans, ending corporate welfare for lenders and increasing the amount of Pell Grants. Teach Sex-Ed--not just Abstinence! Support or join one of Advocates For Youth's many campaigns to improve our country's approach to health and sexuality education, and to stop exporting failed "abstinence only" programs abroad through our foreign aid. Help fight Bush's disasterous NCLB policy Help reform No Child Left Behind and stop the last Bush budget from gutting education funding. Want fairness in federal financial aid? Join the cause Advocate for reform of the Higher Education Act--make sure students aren't denied access to financial aid because of previous drug offenses.

Get Involved and Take Action on Environment and Energy Join the Sierra Club's efforts and sign their petition today Commit to being a part of the "2% Solution" by reducing America's carbon emissions. Learn how here. Reduce your carbon footprint Follow these consumer and lifestyle guidelines from the Climate Institute. Push for renewable energy use now Join Greenpeace's 7 Steps Toward an Energy Revolution--help stop global warming. Get involved in the climate crisis in your town, at the local level Hundreds of cities across America have taken steps to stop climate change. Urge your mayor to sign on too! Get involved with the environmental justice movement Fight the disproportionate impact of pollution and global warming on poor communities and communities of color. Fight pollution in your backyard Find out about the worst polluters in your area and take action to stop them. Join a comprehensive approach to saving the environment Tell the EPA that states should be allowed to legislate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; support the restoration of the Clean Water Act; urge your representatives to act now on important environmental legislation.

Richard Louv talks about "nature-deficit disorder" on WBUR's On Point