Richard Louv (born 1949) is an American

non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

and

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. 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 consists of imprints Workman, Workman Children's, Workman Calendars, Artisan, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and Algonquin Young R ...

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, and is the larg ...

'', 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 Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

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

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

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

childhood A child () 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 term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

. 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 column titled "The Future’s Edge." His essays discuss the division of nature and humanity. He has been a columnist and member of the editorial advisory board for ''

Parents A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are first-degree relatives and have 50% genetic meet. ...

'' 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 Child. He currently is honorary co-chair of The National Forum on Children and Natur
The National Forum on Children and Nature , The Conservation Fund
which is co-chaired by four state governors, a visiting scholar at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

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

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

Awards

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.". In 2008, he received the Paul K. Petzoldt Award from the Wilderness Education Association. The

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relating t ...

, and associations such as the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

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, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

, 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)

Career

Awards

Bibliography

References

External links