Author and environmental education Richard Louv to visit UW-River Falls April 23

April 5, 2018 – The author and environmental educator who has garnered international respect for his investigation of “nature deficit disorder” will visit the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on Monday, April 23.

Richard Louv, who has written nine books on the subject of connections between family, nature and community, will speak about “The Nature-Rich Life: Nature-rich Cities, Nature-rich Homes, Nature-rich Schools and More” from 9-11 a.m. in the Riverview Ballroom, University Center. The event is free and open to the public with a book signing following the presentation.

Co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Children and Nature Network, Louv is expected to discuss his book “Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life,” published in 2016. This book includes 500 actions Louv recommends for enriching the health and happiness of families and communities.

Vitamin N is a companion piece to two other texts he has written on the same subject: “Last Child in the Woods:  Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” (2005) and “The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age” (2011).

Louv has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Times of London among other publications and has appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS and NPR. For 23 years between 1984 and 2007, he was a columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune. He has spoken at many major governmental conferences around the world including the first White House Summit on Environmental Education.

He was the 2008 winner of the Audubon Medal, awarded by the National Audubon Society for outstanding achievement in the fields of conservation and environmental protection. It is considered to be one of the highest honors in conservation.

The event is sponsored by the UW-River Falls Sustainability Faculty Fellows and the Sustainable Justice Minor program.

For more information, email greta.gaard@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-3537.