Richard Louv is an award-winning journalist and the 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), has stimulated an international conversation about the relationship between children and nature. Louv coined the term Nature-Deficit Disorder™ which has become the defining phrase of this important issue.
In his influential work about the staggering divide between children and the outdoors, Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Louv is also the chairman and co-founder of the Children & Nature Network, an organization helping build the movement to connect today’s children and future generations to the natural world.
An excellent interview with Richard Louv appears on Vicky and Jen’s What Really Matters collection of family-related podcasts.