World Soil Day

One annual celebration people will be forgiven for not participating in (or even knowing about) is World Soil Day. Yes, soil—as in that sticky brown stuff that gets walked all over into prized cream carpets. Sadly, it is the ignorance about the importance of soil and the degree to which people take advantage of all that it offers that have led to a drastic reduction in its quality all over the world.

These are precisely the problems World Soil Day aims to battle, as few things could be more important to humans, the inhabitants of Planet Earth, who could never hope to survive without the land.

Soil is, without a doubt, one of the most significant parts of the ecosystem. Contributing to people’s food, water and energy and playing an important part in reducing the impact of climate change, soil is a vital part of life.

For all of these reasons, it’s high time that World Soil Day became known to more people than just scientists concerned about the welfare of our planet.

  How to Celebrate World Soil Day

As it turns out, there are a number of things that average, regular people can do that can greatly help the soil they live off of to remain in good condition. It’s easy to get started with observing World Soil Day beginning with these ideas. Or for those who are super creative, they can come up with their own!

  Participate in a Soil-Friendly Activities

One of the first fun ideas average people can participate in is to plant a rain garden. For those who may not know what a rain garden is, it’s a shallow depression in the yard or garden that rainwater can easily flow into. This helps reduce soil erosion and promotes healthier soil. Another important soil-friendly activity is composting. In order to stay rich in nutrients, soil needs access to fresh minerals which can come from dried leaves, dead plant parts, grass clippings and more. Keeping a compost heap in the backyard, filling it and turning it regularly not only improves the growing soil, but also reduces the amount of waste put into a landfill.  

Landscape and Plan for Less Erosion

It is a good idea to reduce to a minimum the amount of flat or paved surfaces on a property, such as driveways and patios. This is because the water flowing over these types of surfaces has a tendency to gain momentum which causes more erosion than it normally would once it reaches the soil. For those who absolutely must have that patio, they should consider having it built with paving stones so rainwater can flow directly downward into the soil instead. It’s a much healthier (and prettier!) way to get that walking path in the garden.

Place a Rain Barrel

Another simple way to go about conserving soil (and in this case, water as well) is to have a rain barrel placed somewhere strategic where it can easily collect rainwater that is flowing off of the roof, which can then be used to water the grass and the plants.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that even the smallest gestures can make a big difference to Mother Nature!