Explore, enjoy, protect (and educate & rehabilitate)
I love the Sierra Club’s mission statement: Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet. While SC gets most of its attention for the work it does in the latter part of that mission statement, I think the club recognizes that without the first two pieces of that statement in place, the third rarely (never?) happens. That is, if folks are In the natural environmental and realize that they are OF that same natural environment, they more likely to act FOR the natural environment. That’s one reason why getting kids outside and into that environment is so important. But make no mistake — getting our kids outside and active is not just an environmental issue. It’s a health
“Back pain and degenerative disc disease are yet another problem associated with obesity in children, along with type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Judah G. Burns, of The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City reported here at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America RSNA 2009.”Disc herniation and spinal disease are generally thought of as a problem of older people, but we’re seeing it in obese youngsters, too. This is the first study to show an association between increased body mass index and disc abnormalities in children,” Burns noted.
via Heavy kids may suffer from severe back pain – Kids and parenting- msnbc.com.
and education issue, too. But it’s also a tremendous opportunity, and we celebrate those folks viewing in that positive light.
Example 1: “As a teacher I want to give the students an opportunity to get involved in something positive and in a real world application. It’s a good experience for the kids,” stated Boyd.
Example 2: The forest kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is one of a handful in the United States that are taking that concept to another level: its 23 pupils, ages 3 ½ to 6, spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather. This in a place where winter is marked by snowdrifts and temperatures that regularly dip below freezing. …
“I loved the idea of her being outside every day,” said Kim Lytle, whose 3-year-old, aptly named Forest, is the youngest in the class. “If you have the proper gear, I think it’s a really healthy thing to experience the elements and brave the world — and not just on a sunny day.”
The natural environment is a system of many facets and many moving parts. And its a system that affects all parts of who we are and where/how we live. I’m happy to see that we are starting to realize that and take advantage of it.
