Media & Culture | Leadership

– March 30, 2010

Get Outside Day! 2010 – Youth Nationwide Get Outside and Celebrate Nature

This week, hundreds of young people across the nation are abandoning the couch, unplugging laptops, silencing cell phones and heading outdoors to celebrate the second annual Get Outside Day! on April 3, 2010. Throughout this week, they are declaring themselves “Natural Leaders,” youth who enjoy getting out in nature and want to encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
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Legislation/Policy

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – March 28, 2010

Interior Chief Says We Must Connect Kids with the Outdoors

By John Hayes
At a recent gathering of parks and recreation professionals in Washington, D.C., Tom Strickland, U.S. Department of Interior chief of staff, emphasized the importance of connecting children with the outdoors. "We know that the message of the last child in the woods is a very pointed message that we are reminded of daily," Strickland remarked. "We have to connect our young people to the outdoors for their own good, and for the good and benefit of those special places." [+]

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Event

Sierra Club – February 18, 2010

Congressional Reception for Hispanics Living Green Book

By Nicholas Mukhar
A new book called Hispanics Living Green details the community- and family-based relationship between Hispanic culture and the earth through stories of people who have steered environmental action away from individualism. The book includes an organic farmer, Chris Velez, who has accepted the need of balance between conventional agriculture and organic farming, Sierra Club columnist Javier Sierra and Juan Martinez, C&NN Natural Leader Coordinator and others. A Congressional reception for the book will be held in Washington on March 17. [+]

• [>] Read the article.
• [>] Reception information.

Legislation/Policy

National Wildlife Federation – February 23, 2010

NWF Releases State Policy Solutions Guide

By Allen Cooper
From the issuing of special proclamations to the training of teachers in environmental science, there are numerous actions that state policymakers can take to reconnect children and families with nature. The National Wildlife Federation has compiled a guide to help states develop comprehensive plans that coordinate all the policy tools at their disposal. [+]

• [>] Find out more
• [>] Download the report [PDF]

Health | Campaign/Initiative | Legislation/Policy

Children & Nature Network – February 04, 2010

Groups Ask First Lady to Include “Outdoor in Nature” Component

In the wake of First Lady Michelle Obama's announcement that she will be leading a special nationwide initiative to combat childhood obesity, a number of organizations have written her an open letter urging this initiative to include an “outdoors in nature” component. The National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, and the Children & Nature Network are among the groups that signed the letter. [+]

Health | Legislation/Policy

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – January 28, 2010

U.S. Surgeon General Advocates Outdoor Play

In her first release to the nation, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin is encouraging communities to build and enhance infrastructures to support more walking and bicycling, and to improve the safety of neighborhoods to facilitate outdoor physical activity. The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation highlights the alarming trend of obesity in this country, especially among young people, and asks all Americans to join her in a grassroots effort to commit to changes that promote the health and wellness of our families and communities. [+]

• [>] Read the report.

Natural Leader Tamara Poles and Virginia Museum of Natural History are Putting People Back in Touch with Nature

Nearly 13,000 people have taken part in 247 programs of the Community Nature Initiative. [+]

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TRACK Trails Offer Nationwide Weapon Against Nature-Deficit Disorder

New interpretive trail system for kids comes to U.S. national parks. [+]

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Applications Open for 2012 TogetherGreen Fellowships and Innovation Grants

Audubon & Toyota seek to fund promising conservation leaders and community-based projects. [+]

“No Child Left Ashore” Movement Makes Waves

SF Bay Area's Pegasus Project gets students out on the water, where transformations occur. [+]

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Play England Calls for Support to Help Kids Play Outside

Research shows that 21% of children play outdoors daily, compared to 71% during their parents'… [+]

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A Healing Place for Children

C&NN Founding Chair Richard Louv consulting on new children's treatment center in MN, which is… [+]

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National Kids to Parks Day Set for May 19

Nationwide day of outdoor play organized by National Park Trust. Classroom contest ends March 1. [+]

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Chevy Chase, MD, Preschool Encourages Learning Outside the Box

Preschoolers spend at least half a day outside in woods, in all seasons. [+]

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Study: Preschoolers Need to Get a Move On

Most pre-school children spend hours doing sedentary activities instead of playing outside, research has shown. [+]

• [>] Read the article
• [>] Read more about the AAP study