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Colorado Forum Addresses Disorder Affecting Our Nation's Youth
Monday, May 5, 2008
(National Wildlife Federation)
Photograph: Charlie Archambault
On April 22nd, Earth Day 2008, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted Colorado Forum: Connecting Kids to Nature to discuss strategies to ensure that the environmental stewardship and conservation ethics Earth Day represents will stand fast in the years ahead. The future of these values is in jeopardy because of an increasingly prevalent trait in our younger generations - called "nature deficit disorder". This term was created by Richard Louv, author of the book Last Child in the Woods that addresses the habit of today's youth to pass on nature in favor of television, computers and video games.
Studies estimate that the average child spends over six hours of every day engaged in electronic media, leaving little time for outdoor exploration. Even backyards and local parks, convenient and close recreation sources, aren't seeing many kids these days. Childhood and adolescent obesity have skyrocketed in the past twenty years while time spent outdoors has fallen to half of its former levels. The effects of nature deficit disorder go beyond physical health; a disconnection from nature is believed to affect a person's mental health and sense of well being. Equally serious is the detrimental effect it has on children's desire to actively conserve and restore our natural world. Children and teenagers who are disinterested and indifferent to nature likely will not develop the emotional connection that fosters a strong conservation ethic.
Over 130 of Colorado's leaders in education, children's health, recreation, conservation, environmental education and the community participated in the event, representing a shared and growing concern for the health of our children and the environment. Lt. Governor Barbara O'Brien attended as the Keynote Speaker and advocated the necessity for action to reengage youth with the outdoors. Roberto Moreno, a forum panelist and founder of Alpino Mountain Sport Foundation described the breach between Colorado kids and nature as "a sad development but one that ignoring equates to ignoring the most immediate threat to our environment - our clearly growing lack of youth participation in mountain recreation and affinity for our natural world."
NWF and EPA are leading organizations in the movement to address nature deficit in Colorado's youth. NWF is also a forerunner in this cause on a national scale; through its Green Hour program, NWF provides adults with the means and motivation to reconnect children with nature. Julie Gustafson, regional education manager at NWF, described the organization as "committed to restoring the relationship between kids and nature; if kids don't have the opportunity to play, explore and fall in love with the outdoors, they won't embrace the opportunity to practice conservation as adults." Gustafson further explained that the Forum was only one method to confront the issue, but that everyday action by individuals is key. "Commit to spending time outside with a child on a regular basis, check out the neighborhood trees, dig in the dirt, watch the clouds or go fishing!"
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