Richard Louv (born 1949) is an American

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

. He is best known for his seventh book, '' Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder'' (first published in 2005 by

Algonquin Books Workman Publishing Company, Inc., is an American publisher of trade books founded by Peter Workman. The company is comprised of either imprints: Workman, Workman Children’s, Workman Calendars, Artisan, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and Algon ...

of Chapel Hill), which investigates the relationship of children and the natural world in current and historical contexts.Berenyi, Valerie (2011)
Connecting kids with nature
, ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'', June 26, 2011, retrieved 2011-07-11 Louv created the term " nature-deficit disorder" to describe possible negative consequences to individual health and the social fabric as children move indoors and away from physical contact with the natural world – particularly unstructured, solitary experience.Henley, Jon (2010)
Richard Louv: Let them climb trees
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', 5 June 2010, retrieved 2011-07-11 Louv cites research pointing to attention disorders,

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

, a dampening of creativity and depression as problems associated with a nature-deficient

childhood A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

. He amassed information on the subject from practitioners of many disciplines to make his case, and is commonly credited with helping to inspire an international movement to reintroduce children to nature.

Career

Louv was a columnist for ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' newspaper between 1984 and 2007, its last manifestation titled "The Future’s Edge." His essay, on the division of nature and humanity, is renowned for its idealism. He has been a columnist and member of the editorial advisory board for '' Parents'' magazine and a Ford Foundation Leadership for a Changing World award program adviser. He also was an adviser for the National Scientific Council on the Developing Chil

He currently is honorary co-chair of The National Forum on Children and Natur

which is co-chaired by four state governors, a visiting scholar at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

, and chairman and co-founder of the Children & Nature Network, a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. In 2008, the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

awarded Louv its highest honor, the Audubon Medal. He was the 2007 recipient of

's Cox Award for "sustained achievement in public service", and received the Paul K. Petzoldt Award from the Wilderness Education Association. The U.S. Department of the Interior, and associations such as the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who b ...

The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

, and

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Nat ...

, have cited Louv's book.

Bibliography

* ''America II'' (Penguin, 1983) * ''Childhood's Future'' (Anchor Books, 1993) * ''101 Things You Can Do for Our Children's Future'' (Anchor, 1994) * ''Fatherlove'' (Pocket Books, 1994) * ''The Web of Life'' (Conari Press, 1996) * ''Fly-Fishing for Sharks: An American Journey'' (Simon & Schuster, 2000) * '' Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder'' (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005) * ''The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder'' (Algonquin Books, 2011) * ''Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life'' (Algonquin Books, 2016) * ''Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives — and Save Theirs'' (Workman, 2019)

References

External links

Richard Louv Official Website

Today Show
July 16, 2008.
Morning Edition, National Public Radio
May 25, 2005
KQED
May 12, 2008
San Diego Union-Tribune

Children & Nature Network (C&NN)

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child

Public School Insights Interview with Louv
Posted April 22, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Louv, Richard Living people 1949 births American columnists Biophilia hypothesis