Childhood experiences of nature hold the key to raising the public's environmental awareness, according to a top official at a public institution for environmental education in Germany.
Heide Bergmann serves as joint director of Ecostation Freiburg, located in the city of Freiburg, which is known for its drastic environmental protection policies.
During a lecture Sunday in Tokyo, Bergmann said that only those who have discovered the wonders of nature first hand and have grown to love the natural world can conserve the environment.