Read our Q&A with Congress Key Speaker, Richard Louv. Richard is the author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” and is the co-founder and chairman of the Children & Nature Network.
In this interview, learn what prompted him to write his book, how to re-connect with nature and how society can get the most from the modern world and the natural world.
What prompted you to write "Last Child in the Woods"?
Several things. As you know from the book, I grew up in Missouri and Kansas and spent as much time as I could in the woods at the edge of our housing development, with my dog. For whatever reason, I realized as a boy how important those experiences were. Many years later, in the course of researching another book in the late 1980s, I interviewed nearly 3,000 children and parents across the United States, in urban, suburban and rural areas. In classrooms and family homes, the topic of children’s relationships with nature sometimes surfaced. I couldn’t help but notice the increasing divide between the young and the natural world, and the social, spiritual, psychological and environmental implications of this change. And then there were the questions my own sons would ask me about the changes that they had seen, especially when compared to the stories from my childhood. Anything that affects children is going to shape the future. I wrote the book feeling optimistic and am more optimistic today, and hope to share what I’ve learned in an upcoming book.
Do you have some thoughts on how young people and adults can re-connect with nature?
It’s never too early to teach children to appreciate the outdoors, and never too late. Most children don’t know what they’re missing, and respond when they have the opportunity. As parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, we can spend more time with children in nature and give them a chance to find out what a great time they’ll have. More ideas about things to do can be found in the latest edition of "Last Child in the Woods," where a section called "Field Notes" includes 100 actions that families and communities can take to connect kids to nature. This needn’t be complicated. Beach play, fishing, walking and gardening, sailing and beachcombing -- or, a family can go look for birds together; there are endless possibilities and many outdoor groups anxious for children to join in field trips. Or, what about joining or starting a family nature club? The Children & Nature Network offers lots of suggestions to get you started with this. To learn more about family nature clubs, and to read advice from those who have done it: http://www.childrenandnature.org/natureclubs/ Our sister web site, Nature Rocks, offers a variety of opportunities directed primarily at young parents: www.naturerocks.org
How can society get the best of what both the modern and natural worlds have to offer?
Increasingly, family members spend more time inside their particular electronic bubbles, on computers, or watching television in their own rooms. As the young -- and parents, too -- spend less and less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, physiologically and psychologically. I often tell teenagers that they have hidden powers, and that they can trump the iPod with the nPod, by learning to use all of the senses at the same time: to sit under a tree and consciously listen to every bird song and bug call, to watch, to be aware of what the body is touching, what the nose is smelling, what nature is broadcasting. Nature, the sublime, the harsh and the beautiful, offers something that the street or gated community or computer game cannot. Nature presents the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity. Once we’re more aware of how blessed our children can be -- biologically, cognitively and spiritually -- through positive physical connection to nature, it’s easier for adults, for families to make different choices.
What is the role for organisations and government in helping people connect with nature?
Humans tend to care for what they know and experience. It’s certainly true that conservation leaders typically have had pivotal nature experiences during childhood. It follows that children today who have positive outdoor experiences are going to contribute greatly to society as caretakers of the earth. We need to provide them that opportunity, and organizations that serve the public – including government -- are in a good position to open doorways to nature. The non-profit Children & Nature Network formed as a result of the book’s original publication, and helped set a tone for some of the added material in the updated edition. On that site are many stories that will be of interest. We also offer what we believe is very good section on the latest research on the benefits of nature.
Can you share any personal experiences /anecdotes where you've seen nature have a transformational effect?
As a boy, long after my father no longer fished, and most of my fishing was done alone, I continued to find a sense of peace and connection -- and wonder -- with a rod in my hand. My boys grew up fishing, too, and those are among our best memories together.
What is your favourite outdoor place, and why?
I am traveling a good deal right now, speaking in various places around the country, so in these circumstances my favorite place tends to be the spot of nature near the hotel or inn where I’m staying. I wrote about one such place in a recent Children & Nature Network blog. When I’m home, I enjoy getting out on a lake with a fishing pole.
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