Sharing Nature Worldwide, Climate Champion, Joseph Cornell, 100 Guardian Angels of the Planet!

SHARING NATURE WORLDWIDE

When Joseph Cornell’s first book, Sharing Nature with Children®, was published in 1979, it was greeted with universal acclaim. According to the website, SharingNature.com, renowned conservationist Sir Peter Scott said, “I found Sharing Nature with Children a most original and imaginative concept in a field which is vital for the welfare of the planet.” And that’s how Cornell started Sharing Nature Worldwide.  

Its mission is to be a worldwide movement dedicated to helping children and adults deepen their relationship with nature. It uses creative, life-changing nature activities and Flow Learning™, a revolutionary teaching system that fosters empathy and makes ecological principles come alive. Some of that help comes in the form of trainings. Since 1979, the award-winning Sharing Nature® books and trainings have inspired countless individuals and organizations to deepen their relationship with nature and care for the earth. This training will give you the skills and the confidence to “make education about the environment a joy to teach.” 

The trainings incorporate the latest research on play theory and why play is integral to profound learning. Sharing Nature touts concepts like Deep Nature Play principles for multifaceted learning, Journey to the Heart of Nature stewardship exercises and Forest Therapy as part of their trainings. The Climate Daily has reported on the benefits of Forest Bathing or Shinrin Yoku.

Sharing Nature offers one-day, two-day and online training sessions, and has been conducted in over 40 countries so far. So why does Sharing Nature with the World matter to us? Most humans are completely disconnected from the natural world. Sharing Nature helps people reconnect and more importantly, learn to immerse one’s self in nature’s healing influences.

DEEPER DIVE: SharingNature, Forest Bathing—KP

CLIMATE CHAMPION, JOSEPH CORNELL

And who is Joseph Cornell, founder of Sharing Nature Worldwide? Cornell grew up in northern California, exploring marshes, mountains and orchards as a kid. He was so keen on the environment that he created his own B.S. degree in nature awareness at CalState Chico. Since graduating, Cornell’s written Sharing Nature with Children, founded Sharing Nature Worldwide, an influential environmental education program, and written another six books. These are part of his Sharing Nature Book Series. According to his bio, that book series is used by millions of parents, educators, naturalists, and youth and religious leaders all over the world. 

He is the honorary president of Japan Nature Game Association that has 10,000 trained Sharing Nature leaders and 224 regional associations. Japan’s national elementary science curriculum promotes Sharing Nature experiences as a way to help students “get close to nature” and “love nature.” The United States Fish & Wildlife Service named Cornell’s Sharing Nature with Children one of the 15 most influential books on nature. Why does Joseph Cornell matter to us? Because he teaches human beings how to reconnect with nature. And the world need more humans beings to reconnect with nature.

Cornell has received the prestigious Countess Sonja-Bernadotte Prize in Germany for his vast influence on environmental education in Central Europe, the Honorary Award from the Hungarian Society for Environmental Education for his “service as a role model for educators worldwide,” and in 2011 was selected as one of the “100 biggest opinion leaders committed to the Environment” by the French organization, Anges Gardiens de la Planète. 

DEEPER DIVE: SharingNature, Ananda Village, 

100 GUARDIAN ANGELS OF THE PLANET

Ever heard of 100 Guardian Angels of the Planet? We hadn’t until yesterday! The project is an initiative of visionary couple Emanuelle and Clemence Errard, who decided to act to provide children with knowledge on sustainable development and that they in turn act directly in the future to conserve the planet’s resources. The couple traveled around the world with their 7 year old son Jules, and interviewed whom they considered the most outstanding environmentalists of the planet.   

 “Who can be better Guardian Angels than the kids themselves,?” asked Randall Arauz, of the Costa Rican organization Pretoma, the Association for the Restoration of Sea Turtles.  “We have to create awareness and provide training through all means possible so that starting from a very young age, and all the way into adulthood, they are also committed Guardian Angels of the Planet, no matter what career path they follow.”  

And that’s why the list of 100 Guardian Angels of the Planet matters to us. Click on the link in the Deeper Dive Section of this story at theclimate.org/episodes to download, print and hang on your wall for daily inspiration! 

DEEPER DIVE: 100 Guardian Angels of the Planet,