Crooked River Reads: A Distinguished Author Series featuring Richard Louv

Join us for an evening with Richard Louv.

“Nature-deficit disorder,” as Louv defined it in his 2005 book, “Last Child in the Woods,” is not a medical diagnosis, but a useful term – a metaphor — to describe what many of us believe are the human costs of alienation from nature, as suggested by recent research. Among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses, a rising rate of myopia, child and adult obesity, Vitamin D deficiency, and other maladies. In the early 2000s, when researching and writing “Last Child in the Woods,” Louv identified only about 60 studies rigorous enough to cite. Today, the Children & Nature Network offers abstracts for more than 1,000 studies. Recognizing this, some physicians now write prescriptions for nature time. Animal-assisted therapy is among the fastest-growing trends in health care. We see a rapid increase in the number of nature-based preschools. Increasingly, biophilic architects are weaving natural elements into workplaces, homes, neighborhoods and cities. Biophilic design links nature connection to higher human productivity and creativity. We know this now: The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need.
As part of the new nature movement emerging around the world, we see a growing body of evidence about animal intelligence and emotions. In the new book,” Our Wild Calling,” Louv makes the case that strengthening the bond between humans and other animals can transform our lives — and help save theirs.