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A reminder: Richard Louv, the best-selling author who coined the term "nature-deficit disorder," will be at Freedom Park today to talk about connecting children with nature.
While there, Louv will help launch a new nonprofit called the N.C. Children and Nature Coalition, an organization designed to get children off the couch and out the door. The group will act as a clearinghouse for nature ideas and opportunities, assist with research on the topic and advocate for child/nature policy.
The coalition couldn't come at a better time. Concerns over childhood obesity are growing as children are snared indoors by technology. Money's tight for many families - and nature's a free ticket to enjoyment, exercise and stress reduction.
"There's no barrier to entry; all you need is a pair of tennis shoes to experience nature," said Josh Thomas of Charlotte, a coalition executive committee member and chair of the N.C. Sierra Club Central Piedmont Group's executive committee. "Everyone's got a pair of shoes, and it's not like you need a $300 backpack.
"Simpler is better these days. We've got such great parks here in Mecklenburg County."
Louv, whose appearance is sponsored by the Sierra Club's Building Bridges to the Outdoors program, has been at the forefront of the movement to expose kids to nature. Last week, my colleague, Observer environmental writer Bruce Henderson, interviewed him by e-mail.
In part, here's what Louv said:
"Social and technological changes in the past three decades have accelerated a dramatic shift to indoor activities, even as research suggests that children and young people who regularly experience nature are healthier, happier and test better in school. Recent research also suggests that exposure to nature can improve all children's cognitive abilities and resistance to negative stresses and depression."
Louv chairs the national Children and Nature Network. The N.C. coalition, still recruiting organizations, will be a part of that network.
"We haven't been on the bleeding edge of the movement - but we're also not the last one to show up," Thomas said. "Taking the family outside not only creates a time to spend with the children, but it gives everyone the ability to exhale."
