A s a child, I used to sometimes go out to my grandmother's house in the countryside and run around in the woods with my siblings and cousins. Those weekend trips were my introduction to "hiking," and when I stayed overnight with my grandmother she would take me around on various trails in the area. She had a way with nature, identifying birdcalls and gently picking up sticks to usher them out of her way. She was always taking me on walks -- along the suburban lanes where I lived, through country woodlands, or out along the Ohio River. She regularly integrated such strolls into our outings together.

As author Richard Louv explains, making time for interacting with nature is very simple and common sense to most of us. It is what kids naturally want to do. We often think of it as the luxury of relaxation. But as Louv also explains, we are beginning to raise children more and more often without it. We are beginning to go longer and longer ourselves without much of it. He calls it "Nature deficit disorder," and it contributes to dysfunctional adults, children and families.

How long do you let your child play with a handheld device after coming home from school, or on a Saturday? When you babysit your little sister, your grandchild, your nephew or your neighbor how much of the time is spent on a movie, a show, a video game or some other technology that offers lower resolution than the real world? And when you aren't at school or in the office, how much of your time is spent outside?

Louv will be at CU Boulder this Thursday to discuss the necessary effects of nature on our productivity, self-confidence, resilience and emotional health. Louv will speak about his new book and theory of "The Nature Principle," and he will explain why "the more high tech we become, the more nature we need."

My strongest memory of my grandma is one of her sitting on a wild, untamed, utterly undeveloped beach in northern Michigan with a scarf around her head, a long muslin dress bundled around her, and her feet in the sand. She would sit there almost daily in the summer, watching the sunset in the breeze. Her milky blue eyes would echo an incredible sense of serenity and I knew when I would catch her like that that she was a very contented woman.

The passion of one person or of two parents can impact generations and generations to come. My grandparents taught their five children that nature is a part of life, and life is a part of nature. Their children taught me. And when my nephew comes to visit and shows me the difference between a garter snake and a bull snake in the grass, I see a chain reaction continue.

We can't -- and shouldn't -- give up the technological progress we've made in this amazingly short period of time, but we can't -- and shouldn't -- give up on the natural world as a basic need. I had parents who played and explored with me. Their passion has become mine and mine can become that of anyone with whom I share it.

My older sister got to see Louv speak recently and recalls the inspiration his passion and insight instilled in her. As she says, if you have any influence over young children in your life this is an event you can't afford to miss.

Details: Building a New Nature Movement for the 21st Century: Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Nature Principle; Thursday at 6:30 p.m.; Glenn Miller Ballroom, University Memorial Center, CU-Boulder; richardlouv.com.

Katherine Nettles is the communications coordinator for the CU Environmental Center. She can be reached at katherine.doan@colorado.edu