Congress May be Next to Say, “Go Outside and Play”
Thursday, December 9, 2010
DENVER - Seven hours in front of electronic entertainment, and seven minutes outside. That's what constitutes play for most kids today, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study.
This lack of outdoor activity is being cited in legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as one of the reasons for rising childhood obesity. The Moving Outdoors in Nature Act would encourage states to collaborate with communities, businesses and parents to increase outdoor activities.
It's especially important in Colorado, where the economy is so tied to the Great Outdoors, according to Patrick Fitzgerald with the National Wildlife Federation.
"The decline we're seeing in hunting participation has an impact on the state agencies that sell hunting licenses and on the companies that sell that equipment."
NWF, Sierra Club, Outdoors Alliance for Kids and the YMCA are supporting the legislation.
Fitzgerald says it's also about restoring balance to kids' lives.
"These state strategies could look at things like walking and biking to school and look at the school system and after-school programs to see how we can have time for outdoor play and outdoor activities."
The Kaiser Family Foundation research is available at get more stories like this via email
United Nations experts are raising concerns about chemical giants DuPont and Chemours, saying they've violated human rights in North Carolina…
Social Issues
The long-delayed Farm Bill could benefit Virginia farmers by renewing funding for climate-smart investments, but it's been held up for months in …
Environment
Conservation groups say the Hawaiian Islands are on the leading edge of the fight to preserve endangered birds, since climate change and habitat loss …
Environment
April has been "Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month," but the pests don't know that. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it's the …
Health and Wellness
The 2024 Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium Public Conference kicks off Saturday, where industry experts and researchers will share the latest scientific …
Environment
Environmental groups say more should be done to protect people's health from what they call toxic, radioactive sludge. A court granted a temporary …