Author seeks to connect kids with nature

Richard Louv doesn’t think children spend enough time outside, and he’s coming to MSU to spread the word.

Richard Louv

Louv is the author of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,” a book that focuses on the correlation between a child’s lack of connection with nature and many increasingly common childhood problems such as obesity and attention deficit disorder.

He will speak at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Auditorium as part of the 2008 U.N. Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Speaker Series.

The series came in response to a United Nations decision to designate the years 2005-14 as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, said Terry Link, director of the MSU Office of Campus Sustainability.

The Office of Campus Sustainability runs the speaker series and partnered with the Kalamazoo Nature Center to bring Louv to MSU, Link said.

The center is 1,100-acres and located five miles north of Kalamazoo.

Organizers expect a large turnout, with 2,800 tickets reserved or picked up as of Tuesday afternoon, said Lisa Panich, spokeswoman for the Kalamazoo Nature Center.

The event is free, but those wishing to attend must call ahead to reserve a ticket, Link said.

Panich said Louv’s work is contributing to larger move toward reconnecting with nature.

“People are afraid of nature — they’re afraid of bugs and germs, if they haven’t been (in nature), they’re scared,” Panich said.

“There’s a whole generation of parents who haven’t been outside and so their kids aren’t (either).”

Louv has written for The Washington Post and The New York Times. He also was awarded the 2008 Audubon Medal from the National Audubon Society.

The stop at MSU is part of a tour for Louv that included traveling to 22 cities in a 10-week period. The book’s success took Louv by surprise.

“It was exciting and unexpected and gave me a lot of hope that people were taking so much action,” Louv said.

“We tend to forget how quickly things can change when people decide they need to change.”

For ticket reservations, contact Wharton Center at (800) WHARTON, the Office of Campus Sustainability at (517) 355-1751 or the Kalamazoo Nature Center at (269) 381-1574.