Edgewater Business Partners with NWF for National 'Campout'

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) announced Wednesday its partnership with an Edgewater business to increase childhood fascination with nature and “the great outdoors.”

According to a NWF release, The Brick Companies (TBC), headquartered in Edgewater, became a regional sponsor of the eighth annual Great American Backyard Campout (GABC) on Saturday, June 23.

TBC is a private business that owns, develops and manages commercial, residential and recreational properties such as

Its mission is “to create memorable places for current and future generations through social responsibility and environmental leadership,” according to its website.

The local company’s focus on environmental leadership ties directly into the “campout” event and the NWF’s desire to turn “screen time” into “green time,” according to the release.

“The TBC family realizes the importance of doing our part to ensure that our children and our children’s children develop a love of nature and a yearning to protect it for current and future generations to enjoy,” said TBC CEO Lex Birney.

The NWF reported that children today spend nearly seven hours a day in front of electronic screens.

“One of the greatest threats to wildlife is a generation of children entirely disconnected from nature,” said Tony Caligiuri, mid-Atlantic regional executive director for the NWF.

Caligiuri said that with TBC’s “generous” support, the organization will be able to help families “rediscover the joy of nature.”

The GABC event, in its eighth year, encourages families to leave their homes and camp outside on June 23. Those participating in the event are asked to register online at BackyardCampout.org to locate organized events nearby or across the country.