VERO BEACH — New York Times best-selling author and Audubon Medal recipient Richard Louv will appear at McKee Botanical Garden for two special speaking engagements on Saturday Feb. 25. Richard Louv is best known for identifying – and lending a name to – “nature-deficit disorder,” a term that describes the physical and mental costs of human alienation from nature, particularly for children in their formative years.
His critically-acclaimed book Last Child in the Woods was named the 2008 Audubon Book of the Year and sparked a worldwide conversation about the impact of nature-deficit disorder.
He has made national appearances on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News and Good Morning America. In 2011 Louv released a follow-up book titled The Nature Principle.
Louv, who is recognized internationally as a leading expert on nature-deficit disorder, will share his insight and explain the benefits of regular exposure to nature for individuals of all ages at a morning lecture beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Tickets for this event are $75 each and include a light breakfast.
“An Evening with Richard Louv” will begin with cocktails at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
Louv will share his passion for reconnecting children with nature and officially launch McKee’s new Garden Discovery Backpacks program. With its commencement, children will be able to choose from age-appropriate backpacks containing interactive lessons and materials designed to enhance their visit to the Garden.
Tickets for the evening event are $200 each.
“Richard Louv’s message has impacted families and communities throughout the country,” said McKee Botanical Garden executive director Christine Hobart. “It is an honor to have him speaking at McKee, and I can’t think of anyone more appropriate to introduce our new Garden Discovery Backpacks initiative.”
Richard Louv’s morning lecture and “An Evening with Richard Louv” are sponsored by the George E. Warren Corporation, The Jean Thomas Lambert Foundation, The Nature Conservancy and Northern Trust, N.A.
The Garden Discovery Backpacks program is sponsored by The William Bingham Foundation, the J.A. Woollam Foundation, Vero Beach Rotary Charities and members of the Garden’s Louv Leaders.
Space is limited and pre-registration is required for both events.
Please call (772) 794-0601 to reserve your seat now. Visit www.mckeegarden.org for more information.
