Outdoor Industry Pledges to Take Kids Back to Nature
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08.28.08
We mentioned the other week how new recycled content backpacking tents were on display at the recent Outdoor Retailer trade show. Yet for all the goods green news that continues to comes from the adventure sports industry, forward thinkers in the marketplace know that as Nature Deficit Disorder takes hold, their customer base for tomorrow is shrinking.
So, in a move that mirrors the No Child Left Inside movement, The Outdoor Industry Foundation has been pushing its own approach, known as the “I Will” pledge. During the aforementioned Outdoor Retailer show, over 2,500 members of the outdoor industry committed to taking at least two kids outside during the next year to experience an outdoor activity, to support “healthier children, communities and businesses.”
If you want to know why this is so important, see some of our related posts noted below, (and we have plenty more on this topic), or dive deep into the wealth of Nature Deficit Disorder research that the Outdoor Industry Foundation have amassed on their website.
::Outdoor Industry Foundation, via Outdoor Business Update
More TreeHugger on Nature Deficit Disorder
• No Child Left Inside: Economist on National Parks
• No Child Left Inside: Sierra Club Perspective
• Camp Filled with Danger for Kids
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Underwriters Laboratories Introducing Green Label
- How Camping Works
- Middlebury College Writes First Green Paper
- So Long 2008, and Thanks for All the Posts
It's our job as adults to teach the future generations about being outside, especially with all the technology that convinces them to stay indoors, so this program sounds great! On the Mother Earth News Web site, there are some suggestions about outdoor activities that both children and adults can enjoy. You can find them here at http://www.motherearthnews.com/Healthy-People-Healthy-Planet/Nature-Community/Children-Time-Outside.aspx?blogid=1506