John,

Hi, this is Hannah from the Quimby Family Foundation. You are hearing from me now, because fall is in the air and the Evening for the Environment is right around the corner. I’m absolutely delighted to partner with Maine Conservation Alliance and Maine Conservation Voters on this event that will feature the national bestselling author, Richard Louv.

Like many of you, I have witnessed with great sadness and alarm how childhood has changed in the last couple decades. It used to be that if you were a child growing up in a rural area, small town, suburb, or even a larger metropolitan area, you likely spent the majority of your days playing outside. You’d only go indoors for school or when it was getting dark outside and an adult was expecting you home. This is no longer the case for most young people who are spending the vast majority of their time inside-- often consumed with screens and devices. Nearly fifteen years ago, Richard Louv brilliantly described this massive shift in his book, Last Child in the Woods. His writing struck a chord with so many of us whose fondest childhood memories were created outdoors. Those of us who experienced freedom, adventure, and unstructured play outdoors know what is being lost. We’re also left to wonder who the future conservation leaders will be if young people haven’t been given the opportunity to fall in love with the natural environment. 

I am absolutely thrilled that Richard Louv is joining us for Evening for the Environment. He is a leader in the movement to reconnect young people with the natural environment and he isn’t all gloom and doom!  He inspires through story and by sharing ideas, anecdotes, experience, and his authentic passion for rekindling the human-nature connection. For our children, for future generations, for our planet, this movement is one of the most important of our time.

If you haven’t yet registered, I invite you to join me and register today >> www.maineconservation.org/evening 

For the last 17 years, the Evening for the Environment has brought together community advocates, lawmakers, business leaders, environmental educators, and philanthropists to celebrate the conservation victories of the year. It is a night to come together with a vibrant, deeply engaged community to continue moving forward in pursuit of a healthier state and planet.

I hope to see you there!

Warmly,

Hannah