Contents:

Applying the Nature Principle to Your Life and the Lives of Others

The Nature Principle - Field Guide - Richard Louv

A Field Guide to the New Nature Movement

Although first-generation crops benefit farmers mainly by allowing them to overcome biological and environmental extremes biotic and abiotic stresses , the next breakthrough in GM agriculture will be the deployment of second-generation crops, where the benefits are targeted at consumers. In multivitamin corn, three distinct metabolic pathways are modified to simultaneously enhance the levels of three key vitamins. There has also been remarkable progress in the development of third-generation GM crops, which are not intended for human consumption but instead have valuable industrial uses Naqvi et al.

Applying the Nature Principle to Your Life and the Lives of Others

It is interesting that reaction to this report has immediately focused on the potential for negative effects while leaving out an important potential application of microRNAs: Noise Pollution Clearinghouse , reducing noise pollution and increasing natural quiet. The organizers of Close to Home explain their purpose by quoting the great nature photographer Galen Rowell, who confessed in his book, "Bay Area Wild": With regard to foods derived from GM crops, consumers have not perceived any direct advantage, and therefore the public attention focused on the risk side of the risk—benefit equation. A case of the science not supporting the politics.

At the forefront are pharmaceutical crops producing proteins or small-molecules of medical relevance Ma et al. In our laboratory we have achieved the production of an HIV-neutralizing antibody in corn which could be used as a microbicide component to help prevent the spread of the virus Ramessar et al. The value of producing such molecules in plants rather than mammalian cells or bacteria as is usually the case is the reduced costs, the better safety profile no human or animal pathogens, no endotoxins and the massive production scale that can be achieved with little additional effort Stoger et al.

Also in this category are plants used to produce industrial raw materials e. In both cases, it is important to avoid competition with food crops. Finally, a variety of novel technologies have been developed to control transgene expression, e. Some might argue that the development pipeline discussed above is misleading because only four cultivated crops with the same two modifications have reached the market. Does this then mean that all the others have been failures? I would say that the answer is emphatically no. First, there are other products on the market that do not receive as much attention, e.

On top of this, the activity of NGOs that oppose GM crops is often supported by public administrations and welcomed by the media, resulting in approved GM crops like Bt potato being rejected by the food industry to avoid campaigns against their brands. We can define them as technical and regulatory successes, but marketing failures, as happens in many other areas of the economy.

Golden Rice will soon be grown on a large scale in the Philippines. It has taken years to obtain regulatory approval and funding for this was raised only recently. Because Golden Rice does not directly benefit farmers, there was no incentive for industry to cover the approval costs. My opinion is that these costs should have been covered by government public health authorities, as they stand to lose the most from a population riven by vitamin A deficiency and they have the most to gain from the health benefits derived from this crop.

After the development by M. Chilton in of the first method of plant genetic engineering through the usage of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the first transgenic plant tobacco , was produced in and a few years later Bt genes for resistance to insects and genes for the resistance to herbicides were introduced into crops. The first transgenic cultivar to enter the market was the Tomato Flavr Savr, resistant to rotting, in , but it was very soon withdrawn, because of unexpected negative side effects of the transformation.

In both insect resistant maize and RR soybean herbicide resistant plants were introduced into the market. As reported by Clive James in the annual review of cultivated GMPs in , only four cultivated crop plants, still bearing the same two modifications, are in the market and have been widely commercialised soybean, maize, cotton, canola. In the meantime, research intensity on the part of the leading companies has been decreasing as discussed by Schimmelpfennig et al.

Of course this does not mean that new useful and efficient products could not be obtained, but this can occur only if new, reliable methods of control of the dynamics of the plant system are developed. Apparently and unfortunately, the leading companies do not seem interested in following this process, probably because, as discussed further in the answer to question 6, incomes of leading companies derive from the control of the market, the intellectual property rights of the commercialised products, the stock exchange etc.

As discussed thoroughly also in the answer to question 6, this question is misleading when it states that livestock farmers need GM-soybean They need soybean, but it need not necessarily be transgenic. A soybean production per acre steadily increased from to and the speed of increase did not change with the introduction of GM plants in The reasons most of world wide soybean production stems from GM plants is the economic advantage coming from a reduction in the needed manpower for herbicide spraying on herbicide resistant cultivars and the control of the market by the three large holdings: Monsanto, Dupont and Syngenta.

In our case the average size of farms is of 5—6 hectares; the farms with the extant GMPs may be up to more than hundred thousand. So, while in large farms airplanes can be utilized to spray herbicides, certainly our farmers have to rely on manpower working directly in the field.

The Nature Principle - Field Guide - Richard Louv

So here and in most anti-GMO European regions there is no manpower advantage. The EC has recently proposed to give Member States the freedom to veto the cultivation of GM crops on their own territory without needing to provide any scientific evidence relating to new risks European Commission b , ostensibly to prevent tactical voting leading to EU-wide bans Casassus However, although the proposed amendment will allow member states to adopt measures against the cultivation of GM crops, they will not be allowed to prohibit the import or marketing of authorized GM products from elsewhere , which means that EU markets are likely to be flooded with imported GM products that could just as easily be home-grown.

This is clearly a ludicrous position, which simultaneously restricts the freedom of EU farmers to grow the crops they choose and forces them to accept GM animal feed from abroad Sabalza et al. A critical point is that if the EU continues to obstruct GM agriculture, it will force farmers to use environmentally hazardous, expensive and unsustainable agricultural practices, spend unnecessary resources on fossil fuels and agrochemicals, while at the same time importing GM products from the Americas.

This policy will also discourage research and drive researchers overseas where the value chain can be realized in terms of released GM crops. Within the EU, researchers working on GM plants know that the best they can expect for their products is greenhouse cultivation, and that despite their benefits, GM crops are unlikely to be deployed in any setting where they could perform a useful function.

Here the EU policy on GM crops is attacking its own foundations as a competitive bioeconomy because with one hand the EC offers funding for innovative biotech research and values or even requires the participation of small- to medium-sized enterprises SMEs and large industry partners, while with the other they prevent the same companies from realizing the value of their development pipeline. Many individual scientists and large companies with ambitious GM research projects have moved abroad to continue their work, and promising European SMEs have been unable to find investment partners The Guardian , The attitude of European policymakers reveals the immense divide between the rational evaluation of science and business, and the panicky, expedient politics pandering to a populist media and activists Farre et al.

Of course there are more conventional methods to stop the attacks both through the use of chemicals and of biological agents, but certainly insect resistance may be a valid one when and if the plant is resistant to all corn borers at the same time and not only one of them, and of course the borers are not naturally selected for resistance to Bt toxins. This is happening in the case of maize in the USA and induced the Government to rule the maintenance of areas with susceptible plants to partially overcome this problem.

In the case of cotton in China, the resistance to the boll worm induced the multiplication of more than a hundred competitor species, and therefore the amount of insecticides rose to levels never reached with non-boll worm resistant crops. Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium molds when they colonize cereal grains. They are toxic to humans, particularly affecting liver and kidney functions, causing esophageal cancer, increasing HIV transmission rates Williams et al. Many nations have established regulatory standards stating maximum tolerance levels for mycotoxins in food and feed.

Therefore, aside from the health risks described above, mycotoxin contamination can also reduce the price paid for food crops, or in extreme cases, can cause market rejection of entire food or feed shipments Wu et al. This is not a recommended practice, nor is it consistent with other EC decisions including the application of the precautionary approach, because several corn herbicides have been banned in the EU at contamination levels far lower than allowed for fumonisins Wu There is a clear relationship between corn borer damage and unsafe levels of fumonisins in raw corn, reflecting the penetration of damaged corn kernels by the fungus Munkvold et al.

Any method that reduces insect damage in corn also reduces the risk of fungal contamination, but foliar Bt sprays are not sufficient because the corn borers are protected inside the cob Sanahuja et al. Bt corn confers resistance to corn borers and therefore reduces mycotoxin contamination. This information comes directly from the Spanish Ministry of the Environment http: Similar indications come from import checks in Italy where contamination in Bt corn is consistently registered as lower than conventional corn.

The benefit of Bt corn in terms of the reduction of mycotoxin damage has been virtually ignored in policy debates, despite its positive economic impact in the US and its effect on both health and the economy in developing countries Wu et al. GM crops provide tools that are compatible with many of the other approaches used currently to increase food production, while reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture and increasing the affordability of crops Christou and Twyman The socioeconomic advantages of GM crops are demonstrated by the consistent growth in adoption since the first commercial releases James combined with ample evidence of greater farm profitability in both developed economies like the US Smale et al.

There has been considerable debate about economic potential of GM crops in developing countries Park et al.

In the case of Bt crops, these benefits include yield improvements, higher revenues and lower pesticide costs, which more than compensate for the higher seed prices. The increase in income to small-scale farmers in developing countries can have a direct impact on poverty alleviation and quality of life, a key component of sustainable development. Even where economic issues of coexistence come into play, smallholder farmers usually trade their GM and non-GM crops together, using cooperatives or local dealers that also provide seeds and other inputs.

The social impact of GM agriculture is intertwined with the economic benefits because the higher margins generated by GM crops help efforts to alleviate poverty, and therefore provide better access to food, medicine and education, enhancing the social dimension of sustainability Yuan et al. Second- and third-generation GM crops have been developed to address these issues directly by improving nutrition or providing inexpensive drugs, but even the first-generation crops have indirectly led to improvements simply by increasing the profitability of farms and empowering the smallholders in a socioeconomic context.

There have also been more direct health benefits of GM agriculture by reducing exposure to pesticides Brimner et al. Work is also well advanced in the development of GM crops that will have a direct impact on health, e.

Trends in Plant Science

GM agriculture can therefore have a significant impact on both industrialized and developing economies by increasing farm profit margins, as well as by contributing to the social dimension of sustainable development by reducing the handling and use of pesticides, exposure to adventitious mycotoxins and, ultimately, by directly addressing the causes of hunger and malnutrition. As I mentioned before, the productivity of maize and soybean, according to USDA data from to , did not increase from the introduction of GM-crops but probably from the improvements in management and conventional breeding.

Moreover, in the case of Bt, the advertised reduction in the usage of insecticides did not happen because of the selection of Bt resistant insects and the fast reproduction of other parasite species than those killed by Cry toxins, as we shall discuss later. Also the cost of herbicides has not been obviously reduced, the very aim of herbicide resistant plant introduction being an increased number of treatments also during plant growth.

Therefore, as already mentioned, the economic advantage of the introduction of herbicide resistance traits is the reduction of manpower costs, all this favouring farms of large dimensions with an increase of the input of capital and a decrease of labour leading to the exit from the systems of subsistence agriculture due to lack of capital. The reasons of the outstanding success of GM crops particularly in the USA, Canada and Latin-American countries can be understood only if we look at the structure of the market for the four mentioned crops.

Nowadays, three companies, through IPRs, have the control not only of GMPs but also of innovations related to other steps of the food production chain. That follows from the fact that all the leading companies, before GMO production, were agro-chemical industries and since the s acquired control of chemical, pharmaceutical and seed companies. Dupont, on the other hand, has acquired the seed company Pioneer High Bred, while Syngenta derived from the fusion between Novartis agriculture and Zeneca. The power of the leading companies is also based on the presence in public control agencies and in the editorial boards of international scientific journals, as thoroughly discussed by Glover , on behalf of the British E.

For this reason, according to Glover, it is not widely known that in China BT cotton is useful only in the case of heavy presence of the boll-worm, that insecticide consumption does not decrease Wang Nor it is known that in India, in the regions of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, the presence of different species of insects obliged the farmers to increase the input of pesticides while the price of cotton was decreasing Ramasundaram et al.

In Latin America, on the other hand, problems derived from the transformation of local subsistence agricultures based on the production of food into industrial farming, aimed at the export of soybean for animal feeding in developed countries. In Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and, lately also Uruguay, many small farms were purchased and replaced by large ones, up to For this reason, in Argentina, soybean production rose from to by Of course, in all these cases the economic and social disasters deriving from the introduction of GMPs were not due by any means to genetic engineering techniques as such, but by the structure of the market where for the first time living objects could be covered by industrial patents through economical and political agreements between the producer companies and governments and under the rules of the WTO.

However, it is worth stressing here that, as mentioned before, the advantages of GMPs only favoured large farms and the multinational companies, small farmers leaving the fields and the seeds of a number of relevant crops and losing languages and traditional knowledge in the favelas of several countries see the data in the website of Terralingua, an NGO working on bio-linguistic problems. The improvement of nutritional quality of crops has been one of the main objectives of plant genetic engineering as, in theory, the modification of metabolic pathways could lead to the qualitative and quantitative improvement of specific nutritional components.

Rather unfortunately, due to the network structure of plant metabolism implying that a change in one node will affect other components, the results have been far from successful.

This happened a few years ago and we are now waiting for new cultivars with improved production. Unfortunately, as already discussed, the research intensity of GMO producers has been lower and lower, thus slowing the release of really innovative cultivars in all fields. GMOs certainly have the potential to provide nutritional advantages for wealthy population groups, despite the controversy about GM agriculture in Europe discussed elsewhere in this article.

One of the important benefits of transgenic crops is the ability to generate more nutritious varieties, and although these are currently targeted towards developing countries with the worst malnutrition levels, they offer clear benefits to all sectors of the population. Even in Europe there is a surprisingly large malnourished population, which has arisen not only through the impact of poverty but also through ignorance and poor lifestyle choices.

Conclusions

Malnourishment is particularly rife in the elderly population because one of the consequences of aging is a progressive loss of the ability to absorb nutrients Ljungqvist et al. The fortification of processed food and agronomic biofortification using nutrient-rich fertilizers have been applied successfully to overcome the lower levels of nutrients in the UK and Finland Lyons et al. The most significant is the biofortification of cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables with iron to combat anemia resulting from iron deficiency caused by poor dietary habits Lucca et al.

Another interesting example is the potential to increase the carotenoid levels in cereals such as maize to address macular degeneration in the elderly. A diet rich in these molecules has been linked with eye health in the ageing population and biofortification at source would be an advantageous way to address this growing problem Hammond et al. Another valuable approach is the fortification of staple foods such as cereals with polyunsaturated fatty acids currently only found in fish.

The metabolic pathways that lead to omega fatty acids are understood and can be recreated in plants Ye and Bhatia The development of cereal products enriched with these essential fatty acids would increase the general health of the population by providing essential nutrients to those who rarely eat fish, and would also reduce pressure on fish stocks as a sole source of this nutrient. The controversy surrounding mycotoxin levels in maize is discussed in another section, but it is worth pointing out here that this is a problem that faces all consumers, not just those in developing countries, so the ability to grow Bt maize commercially in Europe would, again, provide consumers from all population groups with higher quality food and would at the same time remove the need to import exactly the same products from abroad Folcher et al.

Finally, there is a great deal of interest in the development of functional foods that provide added-value health benefits to consumers as well as calories e. Since the metabolic pathways leading to many of these valuable molecules are now being unraveled, it is likely that the first generation of biofortified foods containing essential nutrients will be followed by a second wave of luxury goods aimed at the higher-income sectors, comprising food products with enhanced levels of health-promoting compounds Zhu et al.

There is obviously no final conclusion of this debate, which is likely to continue for years. We can foresee that plant biotechnology will potentially be able to provide several benefits and address many challenges in food production. However, within this framework, it would be desirable to reach a global harmonization of regulation and legislation of GM crops in order to face the ongoing globalisation of agricultural production. The US is the lead producer of GM crops, with Obviously, this paper is not aimed at reaching any conclusion on this controversial matter.

However, we hope that this face-to-face between two almost opposite positions can contribute to the discussion related to this delicate aspect of agro-food science. It is worth stating that the debates on international markets, economical issues, crop productivity, ethical aspects and environmental concerns are indisputably important, but only keeping in mind that the first, most imperative issue is to warrant a reliable, safe and healthy nutrition to the population. All research programs in our laboratory are supported exclusively through public funds.

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author s and the source are credited. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Genes Nutr v. Published online Oct Christou , and G. University of Florence, Florence, Italy. Received May 4; Accepted Aug 3. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract This commentary is a face-to-face debate between two almost opposite positions regarding the application of genetic engineering in agriculture and food production. Genetically modified food, Food production, Agro food science. Concerns have been raised that GM crops will hybridize with related species resulting in the introgression of transgenes to weedy relatives.

For transgenes conferring resistance to pests, diseases and herbicides, it has been suggested that this can also lead to an enhanced fitness, survival and spread of weeds. Are GMOs, then, a risk or an opportunity to maintain the health of the environment? On the other hand, future GM organisms are likely to include plants with increased nutrient levels, plants producing pharmaceutically important molecules and plants with improved resistance to diseases, cold, or drought, thus suitable for increasing food security in disadvantaged areas.

Are GMOs, then, a risk or a potential benefit for human health? When judging a novel technology the first question to be answered is whether the technology is really innovative and successful. Since EFSA has issued a positive Opinion on the cultivation of GM crops in the EU, what reasons can be provided to discriminate against European farmers who are not allowed to cultivate the same GM crops that are imported and consumed from other continents?

It is known that uncontrolled attacks of corn borers Ostrinia , Sesamia facilitate the growth of Fusarium moulds in corn grains leading to the accumulation of dangerous levels of fumonisins. Given this picture, economic and social concerns present critical challenges to agriculture in the next decades. Farm profitability, viability of rural communities, fair trade and agricultural labor represent significant issues. Which are the advantages of GM crops for agriculture from the economic and social points of view?

Open in a separate window. The possible economic advantages of GMOs in an agricultural context have been discussed extensively. In this respect GMOs have been viewed by some as an effective way to meet the energy needs of the most vulnerable, malnourished populations in developing countries. Do the available results provide indications for a possible role of GMOs in improving food quality, therefore providing specific nutritional advantages also in wealthy population groups?

Conclusions There is obviously no final conclusion of this debate, which is likely to continue for years. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author s and the source are credited. Influence of agricultural practices on the contamination of corn by fumonisin mycotoxins.

A golden era—pro-vitamin A enhancement in diverse crops. Environ Microbiol 12 4: Effect of the herbicide glyphosate on the culturable fraction of glyphosate-tolerant corn rhizobacterial communities using two different growth media.

Is Organic Food Worse For You?

Potential accumulative effect of the herbicide glyphosate on glyphosate-tolerant corn rhizobacterial communities over a three-year cultivation period. Batista R, Oliveira MM. Facts and fiction of genetically engineered food.

A Field Guide to the New Nature Movement

Beckie HJ Field trials prove speed of herbicide resistance. Western Producer, 1 Oct , p Bol San Veg Plagas. The economic impact of genetically modified cotton on South African smallholders: Influence of herbicide-resistant canola on the environmental impact of weed management. Biofortification of UK food crops with selenium. Brookes G, Barfoot P. Global impact of biotech crops: PG Economics Ltd; Nature News Blog, 6 July http: Impact of Bt corn on rhizospheric and soil eubacterial communities and on beneficial mycorrhizal symbiosis in experimental microcosms.

Christou P, Twyman RM. The potential of genetically enhanced plants to address food insecurity. Recent developments and future prospects in insect pest control in transgenic crops. Reduction of IgE binding and nonpromotion of Aspergillus flavus fungal growth by simultaneously silencing Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 in peanut.

J Agric Food Chem. Engineering pathogen resistance in crop plants: Cominelli E, Tonelli C. Transgenic crops coping with water scarcity. The release of genetically modified crops into the environment part II. Engineering oilseed plants for a sustainable, land-based source of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Darnton-Hill I, Nalubola R. Fortification strategies to meet micronutrient needs: EC Research EC-sponsored research on safety of genetically modified organisms: EFSA Opinion of the scientific panel on contaminants in food chain on a request from the commission related to fumonisins as undesirable substances in animal feed.

EFSA Guidance on the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants. European Commission White paper on food safety. The humanitarian impact of plant biotechnology: Curr Opin Plant Biol.

!
?
.
Ecco la marcia, andiamo!, No. 22 from Le Nozze di Figaro, Act 3, K492 (Full Score).
Frank Skinner on the Road: Love, Stand-up Comedy and The Queen Of The Night.

Nutritious crops producing multiple carotenoids—a metabolic balancing act. Nutritionally enhanced crops and food security: Transgenic plants for insect pest control. A forward looking scientific perspective. Lower mycotoxin levels in Bt corn grain. Gallacher M The changing structure of production: The impact of genetically modified crops on soil microbial communities.

Critical evaluation of strategies for mineral fortification of staple food crops. Molecular biology of weed control. Taylor and Francis; Genetic glass ceilings—transgenics for crop biodiversity. Johns Hopkins University Press; Containing and mitigating transgene flow from crops to weeds, to wild species, and to crops.

Altman A, Hasegawa PM, editors. Plant biotechnology and agriculture: Dietary modification of human macular pigment density. For Spacious Skies , a sky-awareness program; Dark Sky Initiative preserves and protects the nighttime environment; Cloud Appreciation Society , aims to foster understanding and appreciation of clouds. Bay Area Ant Survey recruits citizen naturalists to help document more than a hundred distinct types of ant species in the eleven-county Bay Area. Does this give you ideas? Hooked on Nature offers educational materials and workshops to help connect children to the natural world.

Center for Humans and Nature endeavors, through words and film, to expand public conversation regarding cultural values and the natural world. ESP began in , inspired by Wendell Berry's observation, "You can't know who you are until you know where you are. The organizers of Close to Home explain their purpose by quoting the great nature photographer Galen Rowell, who confessed in his book, "Bay Area Wild": Springwatch invites viewers and listeners to help map climate changes in the British Isles.

NatureFind , one of the best resources for finding natural history museums, parks, national forests, and other nature areas in your own ZIP code. Planet Drum Foundation , sponsors publications, speakers, and workshops to help start new bioregional groups and encourages local organizations and individuals to find ways to live within the natural confines of bioregions. Its principal aim is to advance the theory and practice of planning for biophilic cities, through a combination of collaborative research, dialogue and exchange, and teaching.

The American Society of Landscape Architects is a powerful group that could have an enormous impact on the natural future of cities. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. National Recreation and Park Association , the leading advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of public parks and recreation opportunities. The Sacramento Tree Foundation , aims to grow healthy, livable communities in the Sacramento region by empowering people to plant, protect, and learn about trees. Neighbourwoods , headquartered in British Columbia, trains homeowners to identify, plant, and care for trees in their neighborhoods and on their own properties.

Learn about and replicate major wildlife corridors and greenway parks, such as Catawba Lands Conservancy—Carolina Thread Trail , a regional network of greenways and trails that will reach 15 counties and 2. Walkable and Livable Communities Institute , works to create healthy, connected communities that support active living and that advance opportunities for all. Center for Whole Communities aims to create a more just, balanced and healthy world by exploring, honoring, and deepening the connections among land, people and community.

Trust for Public Land , conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Noise Pollution Clearinghouse , reducing noise pollution and increasing natural quiet. Sustainable South Bronx , works for green spaces to improve the quality of air in urban communities. Based on research in the South Bronx and other findings from cities and universities worldwide, MCG offers pioneering solutions to concentrated environmental problems.

The Citistates Group , a journalist team focuses on metropolitan regions and how they position themselves to cope with the demanding economic, environmental, social challenges of the 21st century. The mission of the Quivira Coalition is to build resilience by fostering ecological, economic and social health on western landscapes through education, collaboration, and progressive public and private land stewardship.

Since March of , Your Backyard Farmer —an innovative approach to community supported agriculture through urban backyard farming. Woodland Trust , the UK's leading woodland conservation charity. National Young Farmer Coalition is a farmer-led partnership focused on policy change, community, online sharing of ideas and resources, includes links to intriguing farmhack projects. This non-profit organization is a resource-rich gathering place for young farmers across the U. A Focus on Educators and Educational Settings. The Nature-Deficit Disorder survey , for students and teachers. The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation's Classroom Earth maintains a directory of environmental education programs and resources for K teachers, parents, and students.

National Wildlife Refuge offers teacher training and other educational opportunities. Start your own nature club for teachers. Robert Bateman, the celebrated Canadian wildlife artist who is deeply committed to connecting people to nature, suggests that, through such clubs, teachers who are experienced in nature could organize half-day hikes each month with other teachers.

Other excellent resources for schools that want to get their students outside include the National Audubon Society. Check out the U. Use the gained wisdom of programs such as Eco-Schools in Europe. By participating in these activities a school is providing a healthier, happier and smarter campus for students, teachers and the community. Pathways to help schools become an Eco-School. Consider initiating or supporting nature-based public, charter, or independent K schools that place community and direct experience in nature at the center of the curriculum.

Resources include Antioch's Center for Place-based Education.

Strengthen Family and Community Bonding Through Nature Join the Natural Families Network and download the Nature Clubs for Families tool kit, in English or Spanish, which provides inspiration, information, tips and resources for those who are--or who might be--interested in creating a Nature Club for Families, through which multiple families join together to get outside.

Individual clubs range from two families to over families. This tool kit [PDF] offers a host of family-friendly, age-appropriate suggestions for things to do outdoors in nature to nurture parent-child relationships and support healthy child development. Sierra Club's Military Family Outdoor Initiative , provides returning veterans and their families with healing outdoor experiences.