Soil is Life

Soil is life. Soil is always on my mind. Without healthy soil, there’s no healthy food. Without healthy food, there’s no healthy people. Soil is the key to the health of our planet. But like Edward Norton, as soil, so eloquently tells us in the video above, we need soil and nature, nature does not need us.

The State of Soil

I’m going to pop on this blog fairly frequently this year to share what I know and have researched about soil science. I’ve just signed up with Isha Foundation to be an “Earth Buddy” to help share the state of soil in the world and what can be done to regenerate it.

In Canada, we tend to think we are immune to such things. Our land is so vast. But, the annual cost of soil erosion here is about a billion dollars a year. (Science Council of Canada’s 1986 report, A Growing Concern: Soil Degradation in Canada.) 85% of soil in the United States is depleted of minerals as compared to 100 years ago (Earth Summit Report). Soil erosion in that country costs about $37.6 billion in productivity losses annually (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

The United Nations theme for World Soil Day 2021 – 2022 is to decrease salinization of soil and increase productivity. Here’s a video to explain what the problem is.

A Conscious Planet

With his usual grace and clarity, Sadhguru, a fully realized human and yogi, has started a movement called Conscious Planet – Save Soil. On the spring solstice 2022, he’ll ride 30,000 kilometers through 24 countries from London to Delhi to try and reach 3 billion people with vital information about the state of soil on our planet and what we can do to reverse its trajectory. The video below explains how soil extinction could happen.

Take Action Now

There’s lots that can be done. Learn about soil biology. Support organic and regenerative farmers. Stop using pesticides and fertilizers yourself. Become an earth buddy and follow Sadhguru’s journey at Conscious Planet. As Deepak Chopra says, “The trees are our lungs, the rivers our circulation, the air our breath, the soil our body.”