FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2008
Contact: David Willett, 202-675-6698
House Votes to Get Kids Outside
Bill Would Create New Opportunities for Environmental Education
Washington, D.C.-Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expand
and improve the opportunities for children and adolescents to learn about
and experience the natural world. Hands-on outdoor environmental education
offers an opportunity to improve academic performance in our schools and
provides a solution for reversing the trends of childhood obesity and
"nature deficit disorder" that are afflicting a generation.
"Today’s vote signifies a new national commitment to youth and the
environment. Right now children are spending their days inside and their
evenings and weekends plugged into electronic media," says Carl Pope,
Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "They are missing out on the daily
childhood joy of playing outside that their parents’ took for granted just
twenty years ago."
Research shows that when children spend time outdoors, they are more
physically active, engage in more creative forms of play and are better
focused. Environmental education contributes to significant improvements in
academic performance and motivation to learn. It also leads to student
gains in problem-solving skills, conflict resolution abilities, and
self-esteem. Opportunities for youth to get outdoors to exercise, play and
experience their natural world are critical to help prevent obesity,
alleviate symptoms of attention deficit disorders and address other related
health problems.
The No Child Left Inside Act of 2008, HR 3036
The No Child Left Inside Act of 2008, sponsored by John P. Sarbanes (D-MD)
along with sixty-four co-sponsors, would support local and statewide
efforts to expand and improve environmental education for K-12 public
schools. This legislation would provide needed support to States to develop
scientifically sound curriculum, train teachers, and ensure students are
environmentally literate upon high school graduation.
"Today’s youth will be asked to tackle severe environmental challenges as
adults, yet American children are not being provided with the foundation
needed to address these challenges," says Pope. "Environmental education
today will provide the foundation necessary for tomorrow’s workforce to
effectively address real world environmental challenges."
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