Richard Louv

2020 Margaret Douglas Medal

For outstanding dedication to conservation education and for reminding us that a connection to nature will ensure the survival of our species and our planet.

Proposed by: a member of James River Garden Club, Zone VII

Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods, and he coined the term “nature-deficit disorder,” which describes the unfortunate consequences of children spending more time indoors than outdoors. Through his visionary leadership, he co-founded the Children & Nature Network, which supports a global movement to build communities where children play, learn, and grow with nature in their everyday lives. Partly inspired by Mr. Louv’s message, the U.S. Congress passed the No Child Left Inside Act to fund environmental education. He has also been an inspiration to pediatricians and countless families, connecting children and communities with the healing powers of nature. He has profoundly changed conservation education.

The Margaret Douglas Medal is awarded for notable service to the cause of conservation education.

The Margaret Douglas Medal was endowed by Priscilla Sleeper Sterling (Mrs. Robert D. Sterling), Garden Club of Dublin and Monadnock Garden Club, both Zone I, to honor Margaret Bell Douglas (Mrs. Walter Douglas: 1890–1963), GCA member-at-large. The medal was designed by Art Deco sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan in 1952. A native of Canada, Margaret spent much of her adult life in the American Southwest and Mexico. She is credited with the introduction of the papaya crop to Mexico and she helped establish the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. She was the recipient of the GCA’s Achievement Medal in 1954.

See other winners of this medal

Learn More