The future will belong to the nature-smart — those individuals, families, businesses and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world, and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.
What would our lives be like if our days and nights were as immersed in nature as they are today in electronics? How can each of us help create that life-enhancing world, not only in a hypothetical future, but right now for our families and for ourselves?
Richard Louv is a journalist and author of seven books about the connections between family, nature and community. His most recent book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin), translated into 9 languages and published in 13 countries, has stimulated an international conversation about the relationship between children and nature.