New U.S. coalition hopes to get vid-kids back outside
More than 50 business leaders, politicians, and activists have formed a national partnership to get America’s kids the hell outside. Inspired by recent concerns that too much fun with video games, computers, and TV can lead to obesity and depression, the National Forum on Children and Nature is launching a $20 million campaign to fund 20 demonstration projects across the country. We don’t know why it takes $20 million to say, “Turn the TV off and go outside,” but we digress. The effort, organized by the Conservation Fund, includes members ranging from Disney to DuPont, from the Memphis Daily News to Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D). “For decades, environmental educators, conservationists, and others have worked, often heroically, to bring more children to nature,” says honorary co-chair Richard Louv, whose book Last Child in the Woods sparked the current awareness. “The National Forum on Children and Nature will create a new level of commitment and action. This could be the tipping point.”
