Yesterday, Mike Collins, a local talk show host, interviewed a representative of No Child Left Inside, a division of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. No Child Left Behind is devoted to ensuring that no child is deprived of the blessing of enjoying the great outdoors. I was not able to listen to the interview, but I was moved by the concept.
Yet, as much as I say I care about our planet, it was not until I saw this photo by Peter Dennen and contemplated the sad reality that there is a need for an organization called “no child left inside,” that I realized that I have not done enough.Can you imagine a world where children and families are confined to the indoors unless they wear a gas mask? According to the No Child Left Inside, due to a phenomenon called “nature deficit disorder,” several chronic childhood conditions, including depression and obesity, have been linked to the fact that children simply do not spend enough time outdoors.
Imagine a park with no laughing children, no squeals of delight and no gasps at the sight of a pretty butterfly or a bumble bee. Some experts say this is what it will be like if we don't reverse the trend starting now.
I want my children's children to enjoy the same parks, streams and forests that we now enjoy. And I have not done enough. I have not educated myself enough, nor have I educated my children enough about the danger to our world of doing nothing. I think this photo and organizations like No Child Left Inside will help me change all of that.
You can see more stunning, inspiring photos of the world we will lose if we don't slow or reverse climate change at 350 Professional Photographers.
Question: What would you miss most if every time you went ouside, you had to wear a gas mask?
