Let’s talk about soil
I don’t know about you, but I had a lot of “downtime” during the global pandemic. I used some of that time to educate myself on more subjects of interest. I mean, I had a lot of time on my hands. I say this with a grin on my face because I know that I like to keep very busy regardless. I have 2 businesses and a third that I had to close down (another sad effect of the pandemic) so I am still a busy lady. However, I have always been a mover/shaker, and I love to educate myself on things I am passionate about.
In 2020 I saw a movie called Kiss the Ground. It was a game-changer for me! I have known about Climate Change for decades. I think we all have. Well, I suppose a lot of people think it isn’t real, or that it isn’t a “big deal”- Let me assure you, it is.
I have always wondered what one small person like me could do about it. Could I have some kind of effect? It seems overwhelming to look at the whole. Like looking into the Grand Canyon for a particular grain of sand. It is an enormous, global issue. One that if not addressed in some way by as many people as possible, could possibly mean the end of us.
Last year I noticed that one of my favorite human beings, Sadhguru, was also campaigning on this issue. Wow, I thought, someone whom I admire deeply, is also passionately sharing this concern with the World. Actively doing something about it. I was so happy to see someone with such a huge platform, actually taking action. This gives me more hope.
On a side note, whenever I watch a movie like this- a documentary on Netflix or the like, which usually has a strong opinion on a social issue, like Sir David Attenborough speaking about our beautiful planet and the issues she faces, Glaciers, Deserts, Animals, Coral Reefs, and so on, or someone speaking about “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, or the murder of thousands of whales and dolphins for some monetary agenda, the list goes on and on- I find myself pacing around saying, “what can we do… what can I do”? My partner watches me like “oh boy here we go again” lol… But seriously, the issues we face are no joke. There are so many, that it’s hard to decide where to look first. It also makes me wonder why the focus is on the stock market, the latest Nikes, or fashion trends, yikes, don’t get me started. What about the fact that we won’t be able to grow food at all soon? Or the fact that the food we grow now has almost no nutrients. What about the number of chemicals we ingest every day? Cancer, MS, ALS, “Mystery Diseases” everywhere… Okay okay, let’s get back on topic.
While wondering what I could do to help since I am only one person, I decided to dig deeper into the resources on the Kiss The Ground website. I felt that this movie had some very useful information that I felt like I could do something with. So, as usual, I set out to educate myself on the ideas that the movie presented. I signed up for a class and set out to learn. The cool thing is that I am already a farmer of sorts. I grow my own medicinal herbs and vegetables, I already grow chemical-free, and I’ve been working hard to bring the damaged soil here back to life. So it was fitting. I have since implemented some of my newfound knowledge in as many ways as I can.
So here is the idea… There is too much carbon in our atmosphere. Obviously, this is from humans doing what humans have done for thousands of years. Grow civilizations, farm, pollute, and try to make money. The carbon absorbs energy- including infrared energy (heat) and then re-emits it to the earth, where it heats the surface. Now, some of the carbon is soaked up by the Ocean, causing it to acidify- which is another issue in and of itself- it kills off different species of water life and heats the water, causing glaciers to melt, and absolutely ruin habitats. So what we need to do is safely remove some of the carbon from our atmosphere, and try to reverse the effects it has had on our planet. This is no simple task, especially when it comes to politics and money. Farmers are afraid to change their ways and our government pays them to produce, even before they produce. There are many tiny details that build up to create tough decisions for farmers- and FEAR. Here is where it gets sad, because a lot of people don’t even care. They don’t care about how they are destroying land, where and how cattle are held, what chemicals are doing to our food and to the land, or about global warming at all. Some don’t even believe it is real- a great way to bury their heads in the sand. On this point, I could go on and on, but for now, I’ll stick to the facts.
The answer, many people are proving, lies right beneath our feet. The soil. Carbon is actually not a bad thing at all. Everything is made up of carbon. We are made up of carbon, and so are plants and animals… everything. But we do have an overabundant supply in the atmosphere. So here is what we can do. Build up SOIL CARBON by composting, not burning fossil fuels, Regenerative Agriculture, planting trees, cover crops, No-till farming, and planned Grazing.
Compost: Spreading compost over the topsoil helps pull carbon from the air and down into the earth, where plants thrive on it, converting it to carbohydrates and sugars by photosynthesis. ‘The plants pull it down and the soil stores it’, creating healthy soil that holds a lot more water, making more resilient crops (when faced with drought) and more nutritious food. Get this… we can lay down a layer of compost, even only ONCE, and it helps! That is incredible for those like me who wonder, what can just one person do? Now imagine if even 50% of farmers were on board to change their ways and thinking. We could offset the influx of carbon in the atmosphere enough to reverse some of our damage. On top of that, composting is affordable for all of us. We collect our kitchen and yard scraps, put them in a bin or pile, turn it, and wait. I think that sounds pretty simple.
Now, I am not saying this is an instant solution. This will take time, but according to research data, we may only have 45- 60 harvests left before we lose our planet’s harvestability. That means our food production will no longer be. We cannot survive without food (containing the nutrients we need). We may begin to see reversed effects very quickly if we implement these soil-regenerating ideas. I believe that if we, collectively, take some form of action NOW, we have the power to reverse the harmful effects of excessive carbon on our beautiful planet… faster than we might think. These practices also help with the other devastating climate change issues we face. Carbon drawn down into the soil, where it belongs, keeps more of it out of our oceans.
This doesn’t even cover the conversation of chemicals, I realize, and there is much more to be said on these subjects. This is just a small blog about Composting and Regenerative Agriculture, and how we can all utilize these practices within our businesses and our lives. If we take the time to learn and put these things into practice, then we can teach others how to help offset our carbon footprint, and that knowledge can go on and on. Together we can Save the Soil. I will keep posting about these subjects and share what I learn along my journey in the hopes that I can even reach one person. Even one person CAN make a difference. Keep an eye out for the next blog in this series on Saving Soil.
For more information on how you can help, I recommend following these accounts on Instagram: @savesoilcampaign, @Sadhguru, @kisstheground, @regenerateamerica, and of course, @unitypharms
Blessings,
Amy