Greeny News

The recession presents a great opportunity for a universal desire - to reconnect children with nature

A quiet revolution has begun. His goal is simple - to help our children and nature

In March, the National Trust has published a report entitled illegitimate children. He highlighted the widening gap between children and nature. Less than 1 in 10 children regularly play in wilderness now, compared to half a generation ago. This is important, the report says, because nature is good for the mind, body and soul.

There are many good things about the rapid changes that have shaped the modern world. An unintended consequence is a reduction in serious but equally rapid freedom for our children to explore and enjoy nature.

This week, the National Fund held a conference with professionals in education, health, child care, planning, conservation and game of many . Representatives of public, private and voluntary sectors. Our mission is to find solutions that reconnect our children the outdoors and nature

an increasing number of credible evidence and shows the shift is real and what matters. Natural England has calculated that equal access to green spaces create an estimated savings to the health service £ 2.1 billion per year. There are many organizations working in the field, some with decades of experience.

But we recognize that there is a greater challenge. Much of this work is great, but too small. The activity is fragmented, and statistics show that things are getting worse: for example, the area of ??a child is able to move without surveillance has been reduced by a staggering 90% in a single generation - ours. However, there is almost a universal desire that our children outdoors again, playing naturally and enjoy the benefits that contact with the natural world can bring.

The second is the importance of the quality and quantity of places where children can play. How to introduce and cultivate nature, where children are at school, at home? How to improve the access of all children to a quality green space in the public sphere? It is a simple fact that children are closer to green spaces are much more likely to play outside. Improve access to green spaces is partly a matter of planning. But this is a state of mind and attitude - planters, gardens and local parks can become wild places, if this is how we choose to see

Reynolds

Fiona

Natural

Trust

National