Commentary News
Media & Culture | Review
Burlington Free Press – December 06, 2009
Vermont Filmmaker Explores Positive Influence of Nature
By Joel Banner Baird
Vermont filmmaker Camilla Rockwell’s new documentary explores how time spent in nature influences child health and development, and suggests ways that adults can revive young people's appetite for the outdoors. As Rockwell tells the Burlington Free Press, she was inspired to create the film after reading Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods.
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National | Media & Culture | Resource
Vancouver Sun – September 22, 2009
Ken Burns National Parks Documentary Series Premieres on PBS
By Alex Strachan
The National Park’s: America’s Best Idea, a six-night documentary series by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, airs on PBS starting September 27. Burns hopes the series will encourage more city dwellers and rural residents alike to visit their national parks and to revisit that part of them that resides in nature.
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Education | Health | Media & Culture
CBS News – August 06, 2009
CBS Puts Spotlight on Nature-Deficit Disorder
Watch CBS Videos Online
Jonathan Dorn, editor-in-chief of Backpacker magazine, made a recent appearance on The Early Show to discusses the best places in the country for raising an outdoor kid. In doing so, Dorn provided a succinct definition of nature-deficit disorder and offered advice on how city dwellers can help their children connect with nature.
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Leadership
The Passing of Thomas Berry
On June 1, 2009, Thomas Berry, whose philosophy helped shape the way we perceive the human relationship with nature, died. He was a great supporter of our work, and served on the C&NN advisory board. Andrew Revkin of the New York Times wrote a perceptive and sensitive obituary. In addition, Revkin wrote a wonderful entry about the remarkable Berry legacy on his Dot Earth blog for the Times. Both pieces include a video clip of a 2006 interview with Berry. We hope you’ll read Revkin's story and blog, and watch the inspiring video. We believe that Berry will be remembered as one of the great thinkers of the 20th century, and we will miss him. Visit our own C&NN blog to read an updated essay about Thomas Berry by C&NN Chairman Richard Louv.
Health
New York Times – April 15, 2009
New York Times: The Case for Natural Happiness
By Paul Bloom
Psychologist Paul Bloom, writing in the New York Times Magazine, offers a unique perspective on why maintaining a connection with nature is crucial for people. “Real natural habitats provide significant sources of pleasure for modern humans,” he writes. “We intuitively grasp this, and this knowledge underlies the anxiety that we feel about nature’s loss.”
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Media & Culture
The Canadian Press – December 09, 2008
Removal of Nature Words from Dictionary Causes Uproar
A decision by the publisher of the Oxford Junior Dictionary to replace words like “beaver” and “dandelion” with “blog” and “MP3 player” has prompted some to react with outrage. As noted wildlife artist and conservationist Robert Bateman observed, “If you can’t name things, how can you love them? And if you don't love them, then you’re not going to care a hoot about protecting them or voting for issues that would protect them.” [+]
Media & Culture
QUEST series focuses on Nature Deficit Disorder
On May 12, San Francisco's KQED Public Television series QUEST aired this special report on why we need nature, and efforts to encourage children to play outdoors.
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Feature | Campaign/Initiative
Ecology Global Network – July 03, 2010
A Young Person’s Connection to Nature
By Karen de Leon
14-year-old Natural Leader Karen de Leon discovers the joys in nature and encourages other young people to do the same.
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Health | Media & Culture
E/The Environmental Magazine – May 10, 2010
E Magazine Advises Parents to Get Kids Outside
By Brita Belli
Getting children outside ranks high on the list of green parenting tips put forth in a recent commentary by Brita Belli, the editor of E magazine. "Whether hiking and camping as a family, or simply running around the backyard, regular outdoor activity can have huge positive health benefits," writes Belli.
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Media & Culture
New York Times – April 30, 2010
New York Times: Is Technology Changing Kids’ Friendships?
By Hilary Stout
A new study by the Pew Research Center finds that a growing number of American teenagers prefer to text their friends rather than talk to them either by phone or in person. The question on researchers’ minds is whether all that texting makes children more or less connected to and supportive of their friends.
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Media & Culture
The Independent (UK) – April 20, 2010
British Writer Sees Fault with “Don’t Touch” Culture
By Peter Marren
Contact with nature is good for us, yet we're discouraged from getting too close. So says British writer Peter Marren, who laments the current "don't touch" culture that places terms on how we enjoy nature.
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Health | Resource
ABCNews.com – April 13, 2010
Ideas for Getting Kids Outdoors
By Melissa Rayworth
Even parents who love the outdoors say it can be difficult to interest their children in nature. The Associated Press's Melissa Rayworth has compiled a list of suggestions for getting kids outdoors.
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Research & Studies | Education | Health
New York Times – March 26, 2010
New York Times: Recess and the Culture of Childhood
By David Elkind
In an op-ed piece for the New York Times, David Elkind, a professor emeritus of child development at Tufts University, discusses the ways in which “the culture of childhood” is disappearing. The elimination of recess and its opportunities for free-form play will only hasten this disappearance, Elkind says, despite evidence showing that children who are physically fit tend to score higher on tests of reading, math, and science.
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