Re-Nature By Design Symposium
Overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder in our Communities
Friday, October 12, 2007, 10am to 4pm
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
Thanks to our speakers, sponsors, and and all who attended
Some spirited dicusiions, great speakers, and tim eoutside exploring the New Children's Garden at Lewis Ginter.
Thank You to our sponsors:
Bird's Nest Sponsors:
Oak Leaf Sponsors:
Acorn Sponsors:
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Cheryl Charles
President, Children and Nature Network
Mr. John P. Eberhard, FAIA
Founding President of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture
Mr. Ralph White
Manager, James River Park System, City of Richmond, Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities
As parents, educators, health care specialists, managers, and designers, the care and nurturing of our young fulfills our ultimate responsibility as humans. However, in less than a generation, children have migrated from fields, forests and playgrounds to indoor environments that do little to stimulate creativity and cognitive development. In essence, playhouses have been supplanted by playstations and today’s children are more connected to the world wide web than they are the web of life, leading to various attention-disorders, obesity and depression, as research increasingly has shown. In his seminal 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv assigned the term ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ to this ailment and calls for the re-naturing of not only childhood, but the entire human condition. This symposium will bring together noted thinkers in the field to discuss the issues and to explore paths toward a healthier future for all.
Cheryl Charles, cofounder with Louv of the Children and Nature Network, will set the stage for the symposium with her campaign to ‘leave no child inside’. John Eberhard will provide the science behind the environment/behavior relationship and Ralph White will help us discover local opportunities to re-nature our communities in Virginia.
Current News
Meet Ralph White ... more
Meet John Paul Eberhard ... more
Meet Dr. Cheryl Charles ... more
Sarbanes aims to boost enviro awareness in schools ... more
Expert Committee Releases Recommendations to Fight Childhood and Adolescent Obesity... more
Children's Health & The Environment 5th Annual Conference, Reston, VA ... more
The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds ... more
No Child Left Inside, The Economist, Feb. 8th, 2007 ... more