University to Host Renowned Author Richard Louv in Sustainability Seminar

October 28, 2014

Richard Louv, author and journalist, will speak at the University on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. in a sustainability seminar titled “The Hybrid Man.”

The Georgia Southern University Center for Sustainability and the Recreation and Tourism Management Program will partner to host Richard Louv, renowned author and journalist, in a sustainability seminar titled “The Hybrid Mind,” on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center, 847 Plant Drive. Louv is the author of eight books on the connections between family, nature and the community.

“The Center for Sustainability is thrilled to be able to host Richard Louv as a part of our sustainability seminar series,” said Lissa Leege, director of the Center for Sustainability. “His message about the importance of both nature and technology in our lives will appeal to a diversity of departments on our campus and in the broader community. We are fortunate to be able to offer the Georgia Southern community the chance to hear his message in person.”

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, translated into 13 languages and published in 20 countries, has stimulated an international conversation about relationships between children and nature. The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder, offers a new vision for the future, in which our lives are as immersed in the natural world as they are in technology.

“Richard Louv comes to Georgia Southern with a simple message: The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need,” said John Peden, professor of Recreation and Tourism Management. “My first exposure to this idea came in the opening pages of Last Child in the Woods, when Louv asked a nine-year-old why he liked to play inside. The reply? ‘That’s where all the electrical outlets are.’ In The Hybrid Mind, Louv offers an alternative vision for the future; one that relies on the natural world to engage the senses, promote creativity and build better brains.”

In 2008, Louv was awarded the Audubon Medal, presented by the National Audubon Society. Previous recipients include Rachel Carson, E. O. Wilson and President Jimmy Carter. In 2012, he delivered the closing keynote at the first White House Summit on Environmental Education. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times of London and other major publications. He has also appeared on the Today Show and NBC Nightly News, the CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, and NPR’s Morning Edition, Fresh Air, and Talk of the Nation.

Louv’s presentation is a part of the Center for Sustainability’s seminar series featuring nationally and internationally recognized leaders in sustainability since 2008.

For more information on the sustainability seminar visit academics.georgiasouthern.edu/sustainability/events.