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Overview
“Soil is the bottom line of our ecological system, without it, we could not survive.”
– Ryland Engelhart, co-founder, Kiss the Ground“
Soil is vital to life on earth. Its importance extends far beyond growing our food. Did you know that soil is home to a quarter of the world’s biodiversity? One tablespoon of healthy soil contains billions of living organisms and bacteria! Although soil is often taken for granted, it has the potential to be a secret weapon in the fight against climate change.
Soil holds more carbon than the atmosphere and all vegetation combined. As it turns out, carbon isn’t always the villain in the climate change story. Without carbon, life wouldn’t exist. The problem is where carbon is stored. Too much CO2 in the atmosphere is a bad thing, but if relocated to where needed most (in soil), it can actually help to create a more sustainable climate future!
Sequestering carbon in soil reverses the heating effect of excess CO2 and expands soil’s water-holding capacity, which creates more rich drought-resistant lands for our farmers. It also keeps carbon from building up problematically in oceans and causing ocean acidification. Plus, carbon sequestration feeds soil bacteria and other microbes that create a thriving environment for plants to grow.
Unfortunately, soil health is threatened by the industrialized world. Monocropping, chemical use, deforestation, and urbanization all degrade soil’s ability to store carbon. Conventional agricultural practices rely on toxic inputs, which reduce soil nutrients over time and leave large plots of land useless. With over 40% of the earth’s land already cleared for agriculture, much of the world’s soils have already lost 50-70% of their original carbon stocks.
However, soil is starting to make its mark in the mainstream climate change conversation. No other mechanism known to humankind is as effective in addressing global warming as capturing carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis. Soil is powerful!
To harness its power, regenerative organic agricultural practices need to be employed to restore degraded land. These include no-till, using diverse cover crops, rotational planting, and composting. There are many solutions for getting carbon back into the soil and leading this movement are the nonprofit organizations Kiss the Ground and Rodale Institute, both working to advance research on soil health and promote regenerative agricultural practices locally and globally.
How can YOU contribute to the regenerative organic agriculture movement? First, support local organic farmers. These farms employ many different regenerative agricultural practices at once and in buying their produce, you prove that a regenerative framework (with all of its multifaceted benefits) can be successfully implemented and scaled.
Look for the Regenerative Organic Certification, a new seal for companies consistently implementing regenerative farming methods. Released in 2018, companies like Dr. Bronner’s, Patagonia Provisions, and Patagonia are already certified — with many more to come!
You can even implement regenerative practices in your own backyard. A small garden can draw down carbon, while also increasing your own crop yield. Imagine if every garden implemented regenerative practices; that’s a whole lot of drawdown! Check out this video from Kiss the Ground for five easy ways to make your garden regenerative!
THINK
When we talk about climate change, soil is too often left out of the conversation, yet unites and actualizes so many environmental solutions. As activists and environmentalists, it is important to understand the critical intersection of soil, carbon and climate change.
ACTIVITY
Your first task is to get educated! Watch Kiss the Ground’s The Soil Story video about the solution to climate change that is right under our feet. Next, check out Soil Solutions to Climate Problems, a video from Center for Food Safety narrated by Michael Pollan. Answer the following questions:
- What is one fact from each resource that surprised you the most?
- What are your three biggest takeaways from these videos?
DELIVERABLES
Upload a PDF document with your responses from the two videos you watched
using the upload button.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
As you are learning, soil is a complicated topic. We now invite you to dig a little deeper so you can teach others about the vital opportunity we all have under us!
ACTIVITY
Learn as much as you can about soil health, climate change and our planet, as if life depended on it… because we think it does. Check out the following to get started.
- Watch: the “Kiss the Ground” trailer
- Watch: today’s TED Talk with soil scientist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
- Read: Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change
- Read: Connecting Dots on Ag and Climate Change
- Read: Heal soil, heal planet
Now, it’s time to think about how to share what you’ve learned. Create a teaching tool. Make it informative, creative and compelling — with the goal to stop people in their tracks, so everyone can learn how vital soil is to the future of a healthy planet. Consider video, artwork and graphics to make your lesson engaging.
- Make your teaching tool inspiring, yet concise. Include key pieces of information from your research. Don’t forget to cite sources!
- Test your lesson with your household and gauge their reaction.
- Share your lesson on the social media platform of your choice and tag @TurningGreenOrg and @KissTheGround (check handles for different platforms) with #TGClassroom.
DELIVERABLES
Upload a PDF document with your teaching tool and responses and screenshot of your social media post. Tag @TurningGreenOrg, @KissTheGround (check handles for different platforms) and use #TGClassroom.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.
THINK
Now that you’re becoming an expert on the complex and critically important topic of soil, we want you to share it broadly! How could you implement regenerative organic agricultural practices in your own community?
ACTIVITY
Research a nearby garden, whether a student/school garden, public community garden, or even a neighbor’s garden! Find a contact for someone who works in or leads the garden and send an email to discuss implementing regenerative organic practices. Use your teaching tool and any other information you’ve learned to convey its importance.
If they agree to begin implementing regenerative organic practices (whenever that moment arrives, hopefully in the not too distant future!), ask them if it is okay for you to register their Climate Victory Garden here.
Write a reflection about this experience. What was their reaction? Will they switch completely or start to implement some practices?
DELIVERABLES
Upload a PDF Document with your discussion points and any responses you receive using the upload button.
Submission Guidelines
- If you do not see an upload button, you need to log in
- Submit all entries as PDFs; no Word or Pages documents
- Be sure to include all content for your submission in one document
- Do not include # or spaces in filenames
- You will see a confirmation in green that your submission uploaded correctly; if you do not see this confirmation, please try again
- Send any questions to classroom@turninggreen.org
Don’t forget to post about the challenge and your learnings/doings on social media and tag us on Facebook @TurningGreen, on Twitter @TurningGreenOrg, and on Instagram @TurningGreenOrg and use #TGClassroom.