Newsletter #175 Youth, Nature, and Ecology
Newsletter about nature and science
in dutch : Listen to the podcast
Youth, Nature, and Ecology
If there’s one group with a vested interest in nature and ecology, it ought to be the youth. The sense of certainty about our environment seems to be slipping away—especially for those thinking seriously about the future. A healthy natural world, clean water, fresh air, and unpolluted soil all appear to be vanishing at an alarming pace. PFAS and microplastics, unprecedented species extinction, habitat destruction, and rapidly accelerating climate change—these are the keywords of the coming generation. Schoolbooks with well-meaning texts about the importance of ecology contribute little.
The extraordinary luxury and prosperity in which most of our young people live is taken for granted—as if it’s something they’re naturally entitled to. Young people may take shorter showers now, but they’ve largely let go of flight shame—if they ever felt it at all.
Two underlying issues are at play: a loss of contact with nature and a lack of what our German neighbors call Bildung—a state of intellectual development driven by the desire to learn, and a willingness to invest time and effort to understand the world around us. Perhaps experiencing nature in our immediate surroundings offers a way forward. This is happening at some schools. Being amazed by weeds between the paving stones, delighted by bees and wasps, or enjoying the recognition of a bird nesting nearby. Nature sport—that’s what Jac P. Thijsse once called it.
Admittedly, in his time at the start of the 20th century, it was also just a small group that truly cared about this. Yet the interest was greater—nature albums from Verkade sold by the hundreds of thousands. Trade unions and precursors to the Labour Party provided nature education, founded nature centers, and organized nature excursions and holidays.
Nowadays, many people are still members of Natuurmonumenten or the Provincial Landscapes. But the engagement is becoming increasingly passive. Nature clubs like IVN and KNNV are struggling. Nature lovers are becoming more individualistic, relying on (often excellent) smartphone apps. To be fair, our own enthusiasm for field biology only came later in life. And that’s largely due to a lack of encouragement from our surroundings. Who takes you outside and shares knowledge about nature? What do parents do? Who at school?
The urgency of treating nature and our environment much better is crystal clear (and anyone who denies it is as foolish as Simon Rozendaal). To reverse the tide, we’d need to heavily invest in teachers’ knowledge. But biology as a subject has been removed from what’s called primary education. So natural science at elementary school is gone. As a result, students in teacher training (Pabo) often know nothing about nature—except for a few enthusiasts. Municipalities and schools now often bring in external experts from organizations like NME and IVN to patch things up. That’s great—but also a sad indicator of poverty. A population that doesn’t know its environment has little future. Correction: no future.
Five Tips for Parents to Reconnect Children with Nature:
Go outside with your children. Which birds do you hear? What plants grow on your street? Which mushrooms can you find nearby? What insects—ranging from butterflies to dragonflies to crane flies (which don’t sting, remember?)—do you encounter? Your smartphone can guide you.
Join a local landscape or nature organization like the Provincial Landscape, IVN, or KNNV. That way, you’ll at least bring nature-related information into your home.
Ask about nature education at your child’s school. What do the teachers know? And if it’s not enough, who do they bring in to help?
Check what your municipality is doing. Are there school gardens? Opportunities for excursions or discovery days outdoors?
Talk to your children about how essential clean drinking water and clean air are—now and in the future. How can you and your children prevent local pollution? How can you ensure food that is tasty, safe, and environmentally friendly?
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