Falling in Love with Nature: Nice Idea or Survival Strategy?
A Nature Museum event, in partnership with Wild Wisdom: Walks and Talks to Get You Outdoors
Sunday, July 19th at 6:00pm
North Barn at The Retreat Farm, 45 Farmhouse Square, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Registration requested, $10 suggested donation
Falling in love with nature is often framed as a nice idea, something soft or optional. This talk offers a different perspective: that our connection to nature may be one of the most practical and urgent survival strategies we have. Drawing on a lifetime spent working across cultures, communities, and landscapes around the world, Sean Southey brings both a deeply personal and global lens to this question, including his work advancing the NatureForAll movement and championing Nature-based Education.
At a time of accelerating biodiversity loss and climate change, the truth is simple, people protect what they feel connected to. Through stories, lived experience, and moments of reflection, this talk explores how that connection can be rekindled, and why it matters more than ever. It invites us to rethink how we learn, lead, and live, and to rediscover our relationship with nature not as a luxury, but as something essential, something worth loving, and something worth protecting.
We’re excited to collaborate with the Retreat Farm and other nature organizations in Southern Vermont to present this featured speaker for the Wild Wisdom Series. Other recent featured speakers from The Nature Museum include Dr. Robert Michael Pyle, founder of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Dr. John Kress, Distinguished Scientist and Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Please park in the designated parking areas at The Retreat Farm. Registration is strongly encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome if there is additional room. The bar inside the North Barn will be open for drinks and light food options. Doors will open at 5:45pm.
About the Presenter:
Sean Southey serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Wildlife Federation—one of Canada’s largest environmental organizations—dedicated to conserving the nation’s wildlife and habitats and inspiring their stewardship for the benefit of all. With an international career spanning more than 35 years of leadership in conservation, development, and communications, he has worked with Environment Canada, the United Nations Development Programme’s environment team, and served as Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Commission on Education and Communication for two terms.
Sean played a central role in designing and implementing IUCN’s global #NatureForAll movement and championed the recognition of Nature-based Education as a core dimension of IUCN’s work. He has also served as Secretary General of ICLEI, Vice President of Rare, and President of PCI Media, spearheading more than 100 campaigns worldwide and reaching billions of people with initiatives to protect life on Earth.
A dual Canadian–South African citizen, Sean has lived, worked, and traveled in more than 125 countries. He holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from the University of British Columbia. Beyond his professional commitments, he takes greatest pride in being the father of his daughter, Safia.
