Children Losing Contact With Nature

By Ed Joyce / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published June 9, 2008 at 9:52 AM PDT

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

A new report from the National Wildlife Federation raises concerns about the lack of time children spend outdoors. Less time with nature also appears to be shortening life expectancy too. KPBS Report

A new report from the National Wildlife Federation raises concerns about the lack of time children spend outdoors. Less time with nature also appears to be shortening life expectancy too. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has details.

The report "Connecting Today's Kids with Nature" says many children are now actually gaining weight during the summer break.

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Some of the reasons include more structured activities and time spent with electronic media.

Heather White of the National Wildlife Federation says many children are being raised so cut off from their natural world that they're not developing a connection with nature.

White suggests a "green hour" each day.
White : Kids spend 44 1/2 hours a week tuned into some type of electronic media. They are also spending half as much time outside as they did 20 years ago. Meanwhile childhood obesity has tripled.
White says children born between 1992 and 2000 will actually see their life expectancy reduced about five years.

She says time with nature creates a connection by contributing to emotional and physical well being.

Ed Joyce, KPBS News.

Ed Joyce

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Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

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