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Weather Forecast for Friday: 40% chance of rain, highs in the 50s
The Common Living Dirt
The small ears prick on the bushes,
furry buds, shoots tender and pale.
The swamp maples blow scarlet.
Color teases the corner of the eye,
delicate gold, chartreuse, crimson,
mauve speckled, just dashed on.
The soil stretches naked. All winter
hidden under the down comforter of snow,
delicious now, rich in the hand
as chocolate cake: the fragrant busy
soil the worm passes through her gut
and the beetle swims in like a lake.
As I kneel to put the seeds in
careful as stitching, I am in love.
You are the bed we all sleep on.
You are the food we eat, the food
we ate, the food we will become.
We are walking trees rooted in you.
--Marge Piercy
This week we will explore the mysteries of the "living dirt," otherwise known as soil. Take a moment to think about the context in which you have used or heard these words: dirty, soiled. Is it a good thing for someone or something to be described in these terms?
Might there be a connection between the fact that we frequently use these adjectives in negative ways and the fact that we are actively destroying the complex web of life that exists within the soil through our agricultural practices?
What do you even know about the soil and its importance for your own life?
Before you come to the farm this week, please watch the documentary "Symphony of the Soil" on Kanopy and then reflect on the following questions in the comments section of this blog:
1) In what contexts have you used or heard the words "soiled" or "dirty" used? What associations do these words have for you?
2) What did you know about soil before watching the film "Symphony of the Soil"? Where did you learn what you knew?
3) What have you learned by watching the film that has changed how you think about soil?
4) What questions do you have now about soil and your relationship to it?
1. When I recall the times I have heard "soiled" or "dirty" it has almost always been someone describing another living organism. I can recall women who are sex workers described as "soiled" and "dirty" or women who have had sex before marriage as such, never men. Homeless individuals are also often referred to as "dirty". These two words are almost always used in a negative way to describe someone or something that does not meet societal expectations for how we should use our bodies or present our bodies.
ReplyDelete2. I have learned a little about soil through farming on Aacorn Farms last summer as well as through my mom who loves gardening. I learned that there are important nutrients in the soil that are required to grow foods, but didn't realize that we could have soil everywhere that is plentiful in nutrients to grow foods if only we "honored the law of return" when it came to growing foods.
3. "Honoring that law of return" stuck with me after watching the film. I had no idea that through organic food production and proper composting measures we could improve the soil's nutrient and bio systems to improve food production all over the world. It makes me question why our society believes that GMO food production and the use of chemicals is essential to growing enough food for consumers when in fact this process is only reducing our ability to grow enough food for future people.
4. The only question I really have is if I can ever develop my own garden in my backyard what are the steps in making sure I am giving back to the soil and never taking anything from it? I would like the little ecosystem in my backyard to be as happy as it can be.
1)When I hear the word “dirty”, I think of something that is in a lesser quality. Something that needs to be cleaned. On the other hand, when something is “soiled”, the idea of life comes to my mind. Soil is energizing. The sort of excitement you get as you plant a seed into the soil, along with the anticipation and life that comes out of that process are almost addictive.
ReplyDelete2)I knew that soil is full of microbial diversity. Soil is the key foundation to what makes our planet so beautiful. Before watching this film, I never thought of the connection between soil and our planet’s geography. I was blown away by the first half of the documentary. I liked that it provides an overarching importance of soil and how it intimately impacts our lives every day, throughout our past and future.
3)After watching this film, I think of soil as a book that entails the story of all lives that existed before us. Some day in the future, we will return to mother Earth and life will continue on. I wonder to myself, what kind of story am I going to leave behind? I almost feel a strong sense of moral duty to preserve this land and community around me, cultivating an even more fertile foundation for the seeds to come.
4) I was very interested in learning about the ecological relationship between aquifers and soil. The visual image of the U.S. aquifer network that funnels into the Gulf of Mexico just shook me. I never had seen the “dead zone” before this documentary. This film highlighted and motivated me to re-examine this conceptual cycle of “waste”. The idea that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the planet. I definitely feel that I have a moral connection and obligation to be more aware of and preserve the land around me.
1) When I think of the words soiled and dirty, I have often heard them used in the context of something being defiled or unwanted. It also has an aspect with bodily functions: little kids soil their pants, sex in certain contexts is considered "dirty." Our bodily functions serve as a reminder of our animality, our close connection with nature and to the earth. They remain some of the only things we can't completely sterilize, and so I assume that's why they get called dirt, and part of the reason why the words dirt and soil have such a "dirty" connotation.
ReplyDelete2) Most of my knowledge about soil came from my family's backyard compost. I remember being forced to help my parents spread compost in the garden in the spring so that the plants would grow better and that the compost was made from bugs and bacteria breaking down our food scraps that we put into the composting bin. Aside from that, I was not aware of the biology that goes on within the soil or of the mutualistic relationships between plants and fungi that enhances the soil quality.
3) I was surprised to find out that sustainable organic farming that focuses on soil quality can actually produce more crops than those grown on tilled land with added fertilizer. I knew they often were better quality, but in a society where we're taught that science always leads to progress, it just seems natural that something created to aid farming would create more yield.
4) I found this documentary to be pretty hopeful, as they offered pretty clear examples of farming that enhance soil quality and food production. In order to have a definite effect on the food industry and our environment, it is clear that these practices need to be implemented wide-scale and will require a lot of change. Who would benefit, and who might pose challenges to a soil revolution?
1) In what contexts have you used or heard the words "soiled" or "dirty" used? What associations do these words have for you? : for me soiled/ dirty has always been an undesirable description. Related to un-clean, unwanted state of existence... having 'soiled' oneself was a polite way to say you shit your pants.
ReplyDelete2) What did you know about soil before watching the film "Symphony of the Soil"? Where did you learn what you knew? I leaned a lot from ecology class and elementary school. I knew soil was made up of carbon matter, and mineral. I knew that plants get their nutrients from the soil and there are hosts of organisms that live in soil.
3) What have you learned by watching the film that has changed how you think about soil? I was really shocked by science behind the fungi and soil... how the ecosystem needs to be so perfectly in tuned for each plant. It is very interesting but also very complicated... I can see how organic farming that seeks to maintain soil quality through various plant combos could be a very 'trial and error' process.
4) What questions do you have now about soil and your relationship to it? I have questions on how to respect our soil. Living in michigan there are a lot of issues with the salt we use on our roads. The runoff will leech into our soil and drinking water. I know we need to protect our drivers but how do we also protect our natural resources.
1) In what contexts have you used or heard the words "soiled" or "dirty" used? What associations do these words have for you?
ReplyDeleteThe context in which I have heard these terms are often with regards to cleanliness, but also in terms of 'ruining' things. To soil or dirty a thing or a thought or whatever can ruin it in its entirety-- its value lessens. I think this is an interesting process of understanding, especially in the context of soil and dirt being that which supports us and gives us life. How can it be that we demonize-- maybe dramatic-- perhaps devalue(?) that which provides us with all that we have and all that we are.
2) What did you know about soil before watching the film "Symphony of the Soil"? Where did you learn what you knew?
Before watching this film, I knew very little about the biology of the soil. I suppose I just thought there were different soils in different places, and that you couldn't do anything with what you had-- you just dealt with it. I realize now how uninformed and really dangerous that kind of thought is, especially to something that connects me wholly to everything around me. Even just thinking about the soil as something that is always there is kind of a jolt. A like, 'oh wait a second' kind of moment.
3) What have you learned by watching the film that has changed how you think about soil?
After watching the film, I think my outlook became ever so more hopeful-- though even that is a complicated notion. It feels like we can undo the hurt that has been wrought upon the land. It feels like people can come and connect back to it. I learned so much about the possibilities that the soil gives us that enables me to refuse notions of the inertness of soil and give it a life beyond me. This film made me really thoughtful, and really emotional about the distance that has been created between us and our natural systems.
4) What questions do you have now about soil and your relationship to it?
is it possible to live a life away from soil? what does that life look like?
what are people's (in this class) relationship to soil?
how does soil make 'land' as a concept? open to interpretation.
what are ways I can support my soil at home? (I have little bio knowledge)
how do you read the soil?
1) In what contexts have you used or heard the words "soiled" or "dirty" used? What associations do these words have for you?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with everyone regarding the connotations of these words. "Soiled" has been connected to the idea that something is ruined by a layer of filth perhaps beyond the ability to clean it, while dirty seems slightly less affected but equally undesirable.
2) What did you know about soil before watching the film "Symphony of the Soil"? Where did you learn what you knew?
I truly knew so little. I knew that composting was important, that particular plants preferred different types of soil, and that in large scale farming, soil is nutrient deficient due to over-farming.
3) What have you learned by watching the film that has changed how you think about soil?
I find the idea of cover crops really fascinating--are there some that work better when you are intending to plant a particular crop, and why? It seemed like the Welsh farmer was alluding to this, but I want to know more. I loved thinking about the interconnectedness of it all: better soil can mean the ability to plant a more dense row of crops, which then blocks the soil from the sun and reduces the risk of salinization and the amount of water necessary to raise the plants. I also loved the man who talked about feeding nature as you feed humanity--absolutely beautiful and so important to remember that not everything you plant should be for your consumption. Learning how organic farming methods contribute to a healthy groundwater system was also fascinating, as well as understanding that just because we come up with a renewable energy source doesn't mean that we have found the solution that will put our interactions with the natural world back in balance, as soil would increasingly be pushed to its limits.
4) What questions do you have now about soil and your relationship to it?
I have so many! I had been connecting what I was seeing to our spreading of minerals over our seeds this week and I have so many questions about that mixture and what plants it best supports. Also, is what we did last week pretty common knowledge among small, organic farmers? Or does everyone have their own style and ratios? Does it depend on region and nutrient levels in the soil (I'm thinking yes)? The sharing of knowledge between farmers interests me a lot. If I were to start my own farm after acquiring a piece of land, what resources would I turn to? This documentary combined with seeing the Seed Saver's catalogues really has me thinking about this. Also, how sustainable is it to get your organic, premo soil from somewhere else? I guess it depends how far the soil farm is....
1) I feel like I've heard "dirty" used more often than soiled. Most often in the summertime when I return from work with a thin film of dust over my arms, legs, hands, face, neck etc. that indicate I was sweating in a dusty arena for hours. Every time I'm disappointed by the fact that I didn't get nicely bronzed by the sun, but that it washes away with a little soap and water, revealing my inevitable farmer's tan.
ReplyDelete2) I knew that there were different kinds of soil--rich dark soil that grew cabbages in Vandalia area (I think), brown soil that rotated corn and soybeans, sandy soil like that of my backyard, clay-like soil, different types of sand along beaches, etc. I learned most of this through observation a some classes in elementary school where we learned about different types of soil and how rivers washed sediment along.
3) I learned that there are many different soils and many of them are simply on different stages of development. I also learned that potting soil isn't the only good soil, but that you can cultivate and develop soil to produce and sustain plants.
4) How much should we really work against soils natural propensities? For example, my house has rather sandy and acidic soil. How much is changing the composition going to harm/ change soil diversity? Not all places in the world have as much "good" soil as America. Should they change the natural tendencies? What about methods that don't use soil, like aquaponics, are these essential (in some areas I think yes), but how does this change how we think of growing things when there is no soil to do it?
1.
ReplyDeleteI have always heard the word dirty being used to degrade towards three things: color/race, sexually, and class/poor. For instance, my hair was wildly curly (years of bleaching my hair has beaten the curls out), and I was called dirty which in turn made me obsess over cleanliness. That is one thing that I have noticed about the effects of being called dirty in relation to a physical trait not just from my personal experience, but others as well. I took a class with Dr. Baptiste, and one thing that stuck with me was when she used the phrase “dirt out of place” as a metaphor for marginalized individuals in places where they are not expected to be in being considered dirt out of place because they are not where you want them. According to her, you want them to be “soil” because that signifies them being where you want them. What is interesting too is that I have never used soil to degrade or other than in regards to gardening, which might speak to what Dr. Baptiste was perhaps saying: there is nothing wrong with soil, its when it is dirt and out of place.
2.
Prior to this documentary, I had only heard of “good soil” and “bad soil” to refer to the fertility of it to be able to plant flowers and vegetables. This quarter I am also taking a composting class so this is my first time seeing something other than “good soil” and “bad soil”.
3.
I learned that in some places there might be soil, but with different mixes in depending on the area, like when they mentioned loess. Also, the historical aspect of soil. From my experience, soil has always been a sort of add on to what is happening, and the documentary shifted that and gave a narrative of what history would look like if it centered soil instead of being a factor or add on. For instance, when the documentary discussed the push towards moving west and how it was in part due to the soil. That was something I didn’t think about because it was never centered in history classes, but rather a cause not further explained.
4.
I guess my question is stupid because there is not much of an answer rather than an “imagine if.”
But what would history look like if we centered it around soil and what was going on with it in specific times rather than not centralizing it?
1. The first context that came to me was “to have dirt on one’s hands,” which pretty much means said person did something shady or corrupt. In general, dirty is associated with unclean, which in my opinion shouldn’t be inherently bad- yet Wiktionary defines Unclean as “containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.” Nature is the nice force that moves us all forward and it has never been “clean.” When describing people with light hair that don’t quite have the same pristine whiteness element as other blondes, they are defined as “dirty blondes,” suggesting a lack of purity and inherently degrading them compared to others. I think it extends as far as racism as well and how people of color have constantly been seen as lesser and worked the historically “dirtier,” jobs.
ReplyDelete2. I had known before that the quality of soil was extremely important for yielding crops, and that our modern farming systems were causing a decrease in the richness of the said soil due to lack of varying the type of crops/not giving the soil anytime to breathe. I also had known that climate was a major factor for what type of soils and therefore crops would yield best in the area- my dad explained this to me multiple times when I was little and asking why we couldn’t start our own vineyard in our backyard. I had spoken already about this association with dirtiness we had created in society in my Sophomore seminar, You Are What You Eat. So I feel like I had already began to grow quite an appreciation for it. Although I also did buy gardening gloves for this class- who knows if it was to complete the gardening “look,” or actually because I didn’t want to get dirty. But now I’m sort of disappointed that I did that.
3. In a lot of ways, this film was very similar to the last one we watched- it mentions many of the same issues and centers around this living-friendly dance with nature we must all participate in if we want to succeed as a species. It’s interesting because if you think of soil as what it really is, a natural mixture of mineral and organic ingredients and the (let’s call it this) womb of all things alive in the world, there is literally nothing more pure. It’s created by the exact same “clean,” marble countertops that cover your kitchen, gone through a process of weathering, and been mixed with water, air, and other living organisms “growing on top of each other.” And then if you think about how rare it is to live on a planet covered by this thin layer that makes life possible, we start to feel how lucky we truly are. Something I didn’t realize before watching the documentary is how privileged (I almost used the word “lucky,” but I doubt there was much luck involved when our ancestors were taking this continent from Native Americans) we are to live in the U.S., where 40% of our land is composed of the two best soil creators, and how that is way more than our fair share if we look at how much other countries have in comparison. I know the U.S. is seen as this industrial force that has world-wide effects on everyone, but I didn’t realize how well-endowed we are in many ways- and how we still use these privileges to stay in power.
4. I guess I’m wondering, since a soil revolution is in everyone’s best interests, how do we convince everyone how important this is, with all the other issues that exist on a social scale in the modern world? For some reason I feel like a couple documentaries won’t cut it. People probably don’t get it because they don’t see the direct effects, at least not in the middle-upper classes, where it matters.
1) Something that is “dirty” or “soiled” is something that needs to be cleaned or thrown away. Soiled or dirty things aren’t good anymore. These words definitely have negative connotations. Yet, in some of my AnSo classes, we have learned about the politics of cleanliness and purity. I can still hear one of my professors, quoting Mary Douglas, referring to dirt as “matter out of place.”
ReplyDelete2) I learned about soil mostly from helping my parents garden as a child. I must admit though, what I learned in that time was not what I now understand to be good for the soil as I can remember going to the store to buy fertilizer. In middle school, a few classmates and myself worked with our wood shop teacher start a compost pile. Even then, however, I didn’t really grasp the importance this had for the soil. I simply viewed it as a means of not throwing away food. What really changed my understanding of soil was last year when Nikki Silvestri came to visit campus. She talked about the importance of all of the little microbes and living beings within the soil. I was reminded of her talk when the film was discussing how many organisms within the soil have yet to be identified. Nikki also talked about this fact but added that we will never be able to know or identify everything within the soil because the moment it is removed, it dies. I was also impacted by her discussion of the similarities and symbiosis between our gut bacteria and the bacteria in the soil.
3) I think what was the most striking to me about the documentary was learning about how soil is created and maintained. I don’t think I had ever slowed down to consider where soil came from. I also didn’t study hard sciences, so I never really learned what all soil is composed of. Also, there really were moments during the film that I thought “wow that dirt really is beautiful.” I never knew to appreciate dirt in that way.
4) I want to know why I have grown up so separated from this knowledge. Soil is so fundamental. What mechanisms are at work to hide this understanding from us? Then, on the flip side of that, what mechanisms are at play to promote education on soil?
1. The words “soiled” and “dirty” typically have a negative connotation in my mind. I think of something that was once new or pristine and since has lost worth because it is no longer in that clean condition. When I think of people who are “dirty” I tend to think of corruption within organizations or governing bodies. Anyone who is physically covered in dirt and described as “dirty” is usually a farmer, someone who works outside and or in environments where hard labor is conducted. This group of individuals within our societal context are generally thought of as lesser and looked down upon.
ReplyDelete2. A majority of my knowledge of soil comes from my biology courses however, some of my knowledge comes from yard work and various planting I have done throughout my life. I know that soil contains nutrients that are essential for plant growth (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, etc) and if this soil is not properly used, soil nutrients can become depleted. With my classes, we have learned the role of nitrogen fixation and the relationships plants have formed with bacteria at their roots. Within the context of farming, I have some knowledge of the importance of crop rotation and the addition of crops that can replenish the soil with nutrients (such as clover) to prevent nutrient depletion. In one of my classes, we did a macroinvertebrate collection in the arboretum as an indicator of soil health and nutrients. I know the soil in itself to be a living ecosystem, one that is often invisible and taken for granted.
3. I found so much of this documentary interesting that my notebook is filled with ideas, relationships, and observations that I want to pursue further in my own research that I cannot fit into a single answer. First off, I was blown away by how many different categorizations of soil there were, and further the applications to agriculture. We have separated ourselves from the idea that our commercial agriculture plants grow in the “real world.” One way in which to maximize productivity would be to mimic the soils from these crops’ native spaces.
It was also surprising that the first nitrogen synthetic fertilizer came from the technology for bombs (although I feel like someone had mentioned it before). How telling is it that an idea meant for war times is being used on our crops as an indication of how much damage it can and will cause. Further, this documentary tied the idea of the Green Revolution (as was mentioned in Seeds) to soil production and fertilizers. I think this period of time is so multi-faceted and intriguing that it in itself could use its own documentary or day of class to discuss.
Other ideas that were mentioned that I found fascinating were (1) the role of Hawaii as a case study for the succession of soil since the islands were created at different times (2) the role corals play in trapping carbon and calcium in the ocean and how those nutrients are eventually returned to terrestrial environment via sand (3) the connection between feeding parasiticides to cows and the concentration of that chemical killings dung beetles (4) the time period in which the Soviet Union could no longer afford fertilizers in which the Dead Sea became productive again and (5) the women who investigated recent droughts in India finding that it was a result of lack of organic matter in the soil rather than a result of less rainfall. I am clearly super excited about this documentary if someone wants to geek out with me in the future.
4. I wish the documentary went into the role of worms. I remember while I was growing up loving worms and I was hoping to learn more about their role and how they contribute to the soil through this documentary.
Within my own relationship with soil, this just further fueled my desire to be able to grow my own food when I grow up and the ways in which to do that and have a healthy relationship with the environment by doing so. I also want to pursue composting and ways in which I can start taking steps to improve soil quality in my own backyard.
1)
ReplyDeleteOften times when I think of the words “dirty” or “soiled” I associate them with the relationship to the outside world. For example, soiling oneself is to make a mess of oneself by losing bodily control. In another way, I think of things that are soiled as things that have gone bad past the period of use. Soiled milk, soiled laundry, soiled meats.
2)
I learned a ton of “Symphony of the Soil”. Basically, I did not realize that the relationship to certifying a farm organic made such a difference in the soil quality. I already knew that organic was better, but I had no idea it was better in terms of run off, permeation and ability to maintain its structures. Soil, in the way one walks on it, is only 50% solid and the other half is the air pockets, and water.
3)
I knew that soil was important, but to extent in which soil plays a role in farming I had no idea. It makes me think of brown fields, and the methods that people must go through in order to restore the soil. All the moss, sands, and minerals that must be present in the structure that sustains life were things I had not previously considered. Finally, it blew my mind that prairie soil is more productive that forest soil. The relationship that roots, prairie grass, and old growth trees has to the quality of soil is primary to the biodiversity of organic matter.
4)
I am wondering what this means moving forward, about what soil is the “best”. Are we speaking of soil in terms of productivity of yields that a farmer can grow in it? Or are we talking about which soil catches the most runoff. (Or are we talking about both or either depending on the context?)
1.) 'Soiled' and 'Dirty' definitely have negative connotations. You can soil your pants on the one hand, or your kitchen can be dirty on the other, either way you have something to clean up.
ReplyDelete2.) I have made some attempts to learn about soil in an effort to broaden my understanding of composting. The various resources I have found have given either very basic descriptions (e.g. there are different materials in soils such as minerals, fungi, bacteria, and insects) to super complex explanations on the bio-chemical level (long scientific names and chemistry references stress me out). However, I knew that what happens 'down there' is pretty significant and magnificent. The documentary helped me to understand a lot of the things I had a basic understanding of further and piqued my interest for further learning.
3.) I guess I never thought much about soil as a resource beyond the garden or agriculture. The ways in which soil composition matters in cases such as flooding, desertification, dead zones, etc. helped me to conceptualize these issues in a different light.
4.) So many questions... But mostly, how can we create soil that is best suited for our agricultural goals--- can we maintain its resiliency, feed plants the nutrients they need to grow, and be mindful of our environmental/ ecological impacts? And lastly, what do we need to do in order to create the most superb compost?
1) As folks have mentioned before, "soiled" and "dirty" both bring up a connotation with something bad, something disgusting, for me as well.
ReplyDelete2) Honestly I didn't really know much at all about soil. I did know that there are countless awesome microbes in the soil, many of which also exist in your gut! And I knew that soil is a very intricate thing that gives life and for which we should be incredibly grateful. I also had met Nikki Silvestri when she was on campus last Spring through a class and a workshop and her work totally blew my mind. I remember being really fascinated with her discussion of soil, though I didn't know too much about it.
3) I had no idea of all the different types of soil before watching this film! Also, it really surprised me that prairie soil is more productive than any other kind of soil. This movie also helped me better understand just how much is going on beneath the surface. I knew that soil was important before but I didn't realize how many processes go on down there!! (It also blew my mind that the plants actually protect themselves from diseases by building up walls of sugar and protein around their roots.
4) I would be curious to learn more about the soil in my own life - in the spaces that I have inhabited. And how can/do we cultivate and nurture our relationships to soil? Whether through food, farming, play, prayer, whatever?
1) The words soiled and dirty make me think foremost of dirty clothes, and from there to stain in general. They associate, in my mind, less with dirt or soil itself than with the ideas of stain and dirtiness; but perhaps this is intentional, or at least important to note.
ReplyDelete2) I knew the general sand/clay/loam dynamic, and I knew that organic material is both very important and yet very depleted in most of our own yards. I think I did believe that forest soil was some of the best (and not second-best), because I remember reading about how forest biomes are some of the most depleted (and deforested) for this purpose.
3) I think soil maintenance may take more active stewardship than I had thought. I have a cold-rot compost pile at home, where I just throw old leaves; I just throw whatever fruit and vegetable scraps I make in it, and hope that that’s enough to enrich the pile. I think, though, that active growth and turning of nitrogen-fixing crops, like oats, might be necessary.
4) What are the best ways to steward the soil in our own backyards, to either create organic gardens, or to maintain little sanctuaries of biodiversity?
1) In what contexts have you used or heard the words "soiled" or "dirty" used? What associations do these words have for you?
ReplyDeleteDirty:
Describing something with a stain or waste on it
Used to describe Black/Brown people : the idea that you can scrub the color of someone was a thing
Used as slang word
“Ridin Dirty”
Dirty money
Describing poor people
The presence of dirt
DIshes
Soiled:
Describing clothes, sheets, or undergarments
When something gets wet
2) What did you know about soil before watching the film "Symphony of the Soil"? Where did you learn what you knew?
The only thing I knew about soil was that it had more nutrients than dirt, if you overwater plants it can ruin the soil and your pls will die, earthworms live in soil.
3) What have you learned by watching the film that has changed how you think about soil?
Soil is like the Earth's skin. I didn't know i was actually alive and could breath and had really tiny organisms moving around in the soil. I thought it was interesting that you can over plow and overuse soil which will also lead to a failed harvesting season.
4) What questions do you have now about soil and your relationship to it?
Do we have soil under our buildings? Or is dirt? I’m interested in learning how to compost because I still don’t understand the process and how the old food breaks down in soil.
1)Ive usually always heard them equated to poverty, the abject, the third world, or to be frank, poop. I have never heard it used in a positive other than people who use it in a sexual way and tout it as something they are proud of!
ReplyDelete2)I really didnt know anything about soil other than pH and the effect that pH has on plant growth. Also that rainforest soil isnt the most fertile even though that is what people think and therefor deforest the rainforest so intently.
3)It is full of life, man! Soil is the giver and reciever of life! It is such a beautiful part of this system of life and we should honor it more. I love the way that soil can be viewed as a life infuser and as such a giver. What a beautiful and selfless being.
4) I keep thinking about all the times I named soil wrongly and labeled it dirt. It deserves the importance and value of being named and valued. I guess I wonder how soil interacts with plant root and whether it, like we argued with seeds, has agency as well, and I wonder how that works as the conditions soil has to thrive in and give in now is so precarious and so violent.