How to Create a Generation of
Environmental Stewards

Cloaked in the mottled shade of young campus oak trees, Duke Campus BC Plaza is filled with a sea of people and ripples with life. The excited bustle and noise of chatter emanate as always from the central campus hangout spot, carried by the cooling North Carolina summer breeze. T-shirts and shorts adorned, summer dresses flowing in the wind, and sunglasses gently reflecting the dappled beams of light reaching through the camouflage netting of leaves, a gaggle of chattering students gathers. Yet, within this idyllic scene, the gentle glow of artificial light adds an unnatural illumination. An overwhelming majority of students are glued to their screens.

It is a phenomenon I only began to notice as I sporadically interrupt people’s scrolling to ask permission to film them for my documentary. I move inside the Bryan Center, where I am greeted by rows upon rows of students sitting alone in booths, pixels illuminating monotone stares. I am shocked. How could anyone choose to sit inside on such a beautiful day, both immobile and disconnected? Yet, this is perfect first-hand research and film footage for me and my documentary, a film that investigates nature deficit disorder at Duke. A condition that seems to have infiltrated campus life.

Nature Deficit Disorder was coined by Richard Louv to “serve as a description of the human costs of alienation from nature,” and now encompasses a broader movement to reconnect children and society with nature. While not a medical diagnosis, studies continually show that a connection to nature causes a plethora of mental and physical health benefits.

“Why should we tolerate a diet of weak poisons, a home in insipid surroundings, a circle of acquaintances who are not quite our enemies, the noise of motors with just enough relief to prevent insanity? Who would want to live in a world which is just not quite fatal?” – Rachel Carson

Despite this, Americans spend less time outdoors than ever before. A study of the U.S. population showed that “nearly half…don’t participate in any outdoor recreation at all, and only 17.9 percent [went out] at least once a week in 2018.” In addition, screen time is on the rise. According to one study, young adults spend an average of seven to eight hours a day on screens, and factoring in “media multitasking,” this jumps to around 10-11 hours. This disconnection with nature and increased screen time addiction is becoming more common. Louv attributes this to widespread access to technology, modern urban planning causing a decrease in natural spaces, and a greater societal shift away from emphasizing the importance of nature.

Yet, more recently, the benefits of nature have become well-documented. Time outdoors has been shown to increase cognition, decrease mental health problems, improve sleep, and reduce the risk of disease. This makes perfect sense when we consider that humans have only very recently spent substantial time indoors—a blip in the history of the species. A cumulative study that tried to answer important questions on dosage, forms of nature exposure, and other variables found that “total exposure is important, all forms and quantities of exposure are helpful; and the greener the better”.

However, these are not entirely new insights. Rachel Carson understood the importance of true connection with the natural world and its ability to inspire environmental stewardship.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” – Rachel Carson

When I was just 16, my mother lent me her old Canon camera. That summer, I used it to photograph wildlife that felt so abundant in the British countryside. I set up makeshift hides of sticks and leaves and sat for hours waiting for deer, fox, red kites, and songbirds to get close enough to photograph with my small kit lens. I was completely immersed. For the first time, I began to appreciate the beauty that had always been there, the beauty I had somehow overlooked my whole life.

Without realizing it, those peaceful hours in the field had sparked an interest in the natural world that spiraled into a love of wildlife, the planet, and eventually a commitment and desire to work towards abating the climate crisis.

What started as fifteen minutes in the overgrown meadows of the British countryside one summer sowed the seeds of my greatest passion and interest to become an environmental steward of the world. This is why the greatest loss of our generation won’t just be the negative mental or physical tolls of disconnection from nature, it will be the fading instinct to protect it. The more we lose touch with the living world, the more our baselines shift. The world with less life is already beginning to feel normal; one day, a world without it at all will too.

So, what can we do to abate this new trend and restore our personal well-being?

Reconnecting with nature does not have to entail a week in the wilderness. For most people, the demands of modern life don’t allow this. However, even a small shift in routine, such as eating lunch outside, setting screen time limits, or walking outside rather than using a treadmill, can be meaningful, especially for one’s overall well-being. As I finished filming my documentary, I became more aware of our disconnect from the day-to-day rush. If we all take a moment to pause, step outside, and connect with the world around us, we can begin to return to something essential — a way of living that shows we were never meant to live apart from nature. A way of living that can foster a generation of environmental stewards.

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RCC Stanback Fellow – Ludlow Morris

Ludlow Morris is a junior at Duke University, double majoring in Environmental Science and Policy and Public Policy, with a minor in Italian Studies. Before attending Duke, he spent time working as a rewilding assistant in Asturias, Spain. Then he advised a UK farm, transforming it from traditional to sustainable agriculture, while maintaining financial viability. He is passionate about researching food systems, the farm bill and regenerative agriculture.

Photography by Ludlow Morris: https://ludlowm.myportfolio.com/home