Quote 1: "Allen's aversion to nature, what can be called biophobia, is increasingly common among people raised with television, Walkman radios attached to their heads, and video games and living amidst shopping malls, freeways, and dense urban or suburban settings where nature is permitted tastefully, as decoration." (David Orr, page 186)
https://www.google.com/searchq=children+on+technology&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=tVD7U72mLsb2yQTC0oLwCg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=585#imgdii=_
Quote 2: "biophobia ranges from discomfort in "natural" places to active scorn for whatever is not manmade, managed, or air-conditioned. Biophobia, in short, is the culturally aquired urge to affiliate with technology, human artifacts, and soley with human interests regarding the natural world. I intend the word broadly to include as well those who regard nature "objectively" as nothing more than "resources" to be used any way the favored among the present generation see fit" (David Orr, page 186)
http://lenabug31.blogspot.com/2011/02/obesity-in-children.html
I cannot agree more with these two quotes because we have become a generation that is so accustomed to being inside where we are "safe" watching TV, playing on our iPhone's, and browsing the internet, instead of enjoying the outdoors and all the beauty we have right outside our front doors.
Although it is hard to correct something like this after America has gotten so accustomed to this lifestyle, it is important that we each attempt to do so before it is too late. I remember even when I was a child, I would run outside with my sisters and we would walk through my back yard: which had the ocean, mud, mangroves, and woods, and we LOVED every minute of it. We had such a great imagination, and we weren't afraid of nature at all. Sure we came home with scratches and ant bites, but we enjoyed life and nature, and there was not one second that we felt "biophobic" about being outdoors. Because my mother raised my siblings and myself to love the outdoors, we will always appreciate it.
I think that we can bring back the days where kids go outside and explore nature as soon as we have parents/adults that will allow and supervise younger kids to do so. I believe that even my generation can change our tendencies of feeling "biophobic" towards nature, if we allow ourselves to explore the beauty and sanctity of the outdoors.
Quote 3: "In return for our proper use, the earth is given to humankind as a trust. Proper use requires gratitude, humility, charity, and skill. Improper use begins with ingratitude and disparagement and proceeds to greed, abuse, and violence." (pg 192)
http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-marine-pollution/
In addition, we are so unfamiliar with nature now in days that we have no idea how our everyday decisions are destroying it. People are polluting, wasting, and poisoning our environment without even thinking twice about the impact it is having on nature.
Furthermore, we need to realize that nature and our world is what has kept us alive all this time. The trees, water, springs, animals, and everything natural that we have been given is what takes care of us in the end, and not our technology.
Eventually, there will not be enough people who love nature enough to do other peoples part in cleaning and taking care of the environment and we will lose it. These are some interesting videos below that I found on pollution and its effects.
Quote 4:"If by some fairly young age, however, nature has not been experienced as a friendly place of adventure and excitement, biophilia will not take hold as it might have. An opportunity will have passed, and therefore the mind will lack some critical dimension of perception and imagination." (page 200 John Muir)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/16/uk-children-not-connected-nature-rspb
Quote 5: "For children the sense of biophilia needs instruction, example, and validation by a caring adult. And for adults, rekindling the sense of wonder may require a child's excitement and openness to natural wonders as well." (page 200, Rachel Carson, 1987)
http://greenliving.about.com/od/Parenting/fl/The-Importance-of-Encouraging-Children-to-Enjoy-Nature.htm
I have experienced what Rachel Carson is writing in the quote above. She says that sometimes a child can "rekindle" the sense of wonder and excitement we have deep within ourselves with the help of a child's openness to the natural wonders.
This quote makes complete sense to me because when I became a mother, my daughter made the outdoors exciting to me again. She would climb trees, search for lady bugs and caterpillars, pick flowers, play in the rain and reminded of how I use to love being outdoors doing the same things.
She helped me to become unafraid of little creatures that before I became a mother, I never would have touched. She reminded me through her innocent curious eyes of how beautiful and exciting nature can be.
So I completely agree with Rachel Carson, that it is our responsibility as adults to lead children to explore the outdoors while they still have the curiosity for it.
We need to make sure that out younger generation has the chance to appreciate, explore and find love for nature while they have the desire to do so.
And if we never did love nature before we can push ourselves to explore it with a child's mind full of curiosity, innocence and wonder. Our children have the ability to teach us things we never even knew about nature.
https://www.google.com/searchq=children+and+parents+exploring+nature&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=gU_7U62uJdeqyATaloDQCw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=585#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=14C6enkzTQ1YxM%253A%3B28LHjWltLS1ZDM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fchildreninnature.mo.gov%252Ffiles%252F2012%252F04%252FNaturalist_0064lores1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fchildreninnature.mo.gov%252Fcategory%252Fchildren-in-nature%252F%3B720%3B480
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