In this keynote address, Richard Louv laments that today's children lack direct connection to nature. Over the past 15 years, he interviewed families across the country about the changes in their lives, including their relationship with nature. With few exceptions, even in rural areas, parents say the same thing: Most children aren't playing outside anymore, not in the woods or the fields or the canyons. Today, kids are well aware of the global threats to the environment, but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature on a day-to-day basis, is fading. Louv is not suggesting that people bring back the free-range childhood of the 1950s. Those days are over. But, with a deeper understanding of the importance of nature play to healthy child development, and to their sense of connection to the world, everyone can create safe zones for nature exploration. Individuals can preserve the open space in their cities, and even design and build new kinds of communities, using the principles of green urbanism. They can weave nature experiences into their classrooms, and nature therapy into their healthcare system. They can challenge environmental organizations to take this issue seriously.