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Celebrate World Soil Day!

It nourishes our plants, stores water, and supports all wildlife…but we don’t often think about it because it’s underneath our feet. Want to take a guess as to what we are talking about?

CROP World Soil Day_2

…

Yes, soil!

This Friday, December 4 is World Soil Day – a great opportunity to reflect on and appreciate soil’s critical role in our lives. World Soil Day came to be in 2002, when the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) put forth a resolution to celebrate the importance of soil. Since then the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been working to support global awareness through its Global Soil Partnership. The first World Soil Day occurred on December 5, 2013.

A solid ground for life

This year’s theme is “Soils a solid ground for life”. What does this statement mean to you? To us, it means that we should think about how soil is integrated into every aspect of our lives. As a non-renewable resources, we need to all take steps towards stewarding the soil, whether it is making compost from kitchen scraps to nourish our gardens, working with local conservation authorities to prevent erosion by planting healthy ground cover, or advocating for municipal and provincial policies around soil protection – like Ontario’s Greenbelt legislation. 

What can your classroom do to celebrate World Soil Day?

  • Although it’s winter, you could still plan ahead on your school garden – watch our School Garden webinar for tips.
  • One key component of soil is nutrients. Does your school have a composting program? If not, here are some ideas to put your food scraps to use.
  • Watch this short video, Let’s Talk About Soil, which explores soil resources around the world while suggesting ways to manage soil more sustainably; then brainstorm with your students on what you could to do take care of the soil in your community.

Thinking outside of the classroom, there are plenty of local organizations with which you and your students can get involved to have a direct impact on soil conservation in Ontario, from joining the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation to supporting our local farmers who use a variety of practices to keep our soils healthy.

What’s happening around the world?

Around the world, events are being held to recognize World Soil Day, from an earthworm workshop for kids at Ottawa’s Food and Agriculture Museum, to a university conference on Soil and Water Conservation in Chiapas, Mexico. Check out the map to find out how soil is being discussed and celebrated.

Did you know that 2015 was the International Year of Soils? Ae we celebrate World Soil Day on December 4, we are also recognizing the closure of a full year of soil-related events and campaigns, from Ethiopia’s Healthy Soils for Healthy Life campaign (part of its shift to a climate-smart green economy) to Dirt: an interdisciplinary exhibition bringing together scientists, artists, and authors at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State.

You can watch a webcast at the closing of the International Year of Soils from the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, here.

Resources

Are you organizing a World Soil Day activity in your community? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, or email. You can check out a gallery of events from last year for ideas.

Here are a few FAO resources for your classroom: