{"id":6890,"date":"2017-02-16T08:12:37","date_gmt":"2017-02-16T08:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/?p=6890"},"modified":"2017-02-16T08:12:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-16T08:12:37","slug":"are-we-as-disconnected-from-nature-as-some-would-have-us-believe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/2017\/02\/16\/are-we-as-disconnected-from-nature-as-some-would-have-us-believe\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we as disconnected from nature as some would have us believe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks to the NAEE blog for alerting me to a piece by Rob Bushby in The Scotsman.\u00a0Bushy is the awards manager for the John Muir Trust and he was writing about whether\u00a0children are really as disconnected from nature as we're all supposed to believe. \u00a0His article is\u00a0also placed on the Trust's website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His article begins:<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren are disconnected from nature\u201d has become something of a worrying mantra. We\u2019re told that they spend less time out of doors than prisoners. \u00a0That one in ten is obese. \u00a0But it isn\u2019t the face value of such statements that\u2019s the worry. \u00a0The concern is what they obscure, and that they aren\u2019t challenged and unpacked in more constructive ways. \u00a0Is the issue really as acute as these statements suggest? \u00a0The air we breathe is \u2018nature\u2019. So too is the food we eat. \u00a0If children truly were \u2018disconnected from nature\u2019, they\u2019d be dead. \u00a0If one in ten children is obese, nine aren\u2019t then? \u00a0Prisons offer enlightened rehabilitation schemes, some with extensive outdoor dimensions focused on gardens, nature reserves and National Parks.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a binary thing. \u00a0We\u2019re not either connected or disconnected. \u00a0We\u2019re all somewhere on a spectrum that reflects our experiences, knowledge and proximity to nature, and our values in relation to it. \u00a0Research conducted by the RSPB in 2012 found that 21 per cent of 8-12 year-olds had \u201ca level of connection to nature that is considered to be a realistic and achievable target for all children\u201d. \u00a0Ok, not great, and plenty of scope to do lots more. \u00a0Yes, there are barriers we need to explore and address, relating to perceptions, distractions, opportunities and finances. \u00a0B ut blanket pessimism conceals three things. \u00a0First, the great work taking place on a daily basis bringing young people and nature together. \u00a0Second, that it\u2019s those from poorest backgrounds who have least access and opportunity. \u00a0And third, the exciting potential to achieve further progress.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As you see, it's an unusual angle and one worth an second read. \u00a0 This\u00a0article appeared in The Scotsman<\/a> newspaper, 13th\u00a0January 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanks to the NAEE blog for alerting me to a piece by Rob Bushby in The Scotsman.\u00a0Bushy is the awards manager for the John Muir Trust and he was writing about whether\u00a0children are really as disconnected from nature as we're...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comment","category-news-and-updates"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/edswahs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}