Green Hour
March 20, 2006

 Modern nature deficit in children may be the greatest hurdle to having a stronger nationwide conservation sentiment we have ever faced as a movement. Research shows that the single most reason people feel connected to nature is the time they spend enjoying the outdoors. But kids are now spending an average of nearly six and a half hours a day staring at some form of electronic device -- TV, computer, video game. NWF wants every child in the nation to spend an average of an hour per day outdoor in green spaces -- a "Green Hour" www.nwf.org/greenhour

 Here is the latest -- 

National Wildlife Week (April 22-30) helps us make it one big nationwide Green Hour -- Also, a group of Ozark communities take on nature deficit with 82-miles trail plan.  Predators of children are way more likely to be online than they are outdoors if Dateline NBC has been showing us anything -- Family Online covers some dos and don'ts of Internet use for kids.  A new global pediatric health study says nearly 50% of U.S. kids will be obese by 2010 -- another study finds that kids need 60 minutes of moderate exercise per day -- such as they would get playing outdoors.

See www.nwf.org/greenhour