HERMITAGE – Although Earth Day has been around since 1970, instilling environmental ideals in young people can be a hard sell. Richard Louv, in his book, “Last Child in the Woods,” said many children suffer from nature deficit disorder, and Hermitage teacher Nancy Bires said she sees the problem firsthand as a growing number of her students spend more time with cellphones and computer tablets and less time chasing butterflies and looking under rocks. “I see that as a huge problem,” said the district’s environmental coordinator. “I see this screen time as an addiction. If kids aren’t spending time outside, then they don’t develop that relationship with the natural world, and care about it and want to take care of it.” In an era of climate change skeptics and deniers, “it creates a lot of confusion for kids,” Bires said. She tries to keep her message simple. “The big thing is they have to understand how their lifestyle affects the planet,” she said. “Every little thing helps.” Since joining the district in 1986, Bires has pushed to raise environmental awareness in her students through the nature trail built at the elementary-middle school complex, and in Earth Week activities that culminate with Earth Fest, which is held the Friday before Earth Day. “Each student decorates a brown paper grocery bag from D’Onofrio’s, and we return them to the store with messages about recycling,” Bires said. “We collect pennies for the planet each year. This year, it’s…