2015 is the International Year of Soils

[Boyd Roberts]

The United Nations has designated this year the International Year of Soils.

We often take soils for granted, but this year the FAO wants to focus on their importance to human and other life on the planet, how they are produced, and how they are being threatened by human activity.

The following clips give an overview of why soil needs protecting:

Support World Soil Day and the International Year of Soils 2015 - a one-and-a-half minute YouTube clip. 

Let's Talk About Soil - a five-minute Vimeo animation that goes into more depth.

The Importance of Soil (a six and a half minute video produced by the Chicago Botanic Garden) places more emphasis on scientific aspects of soil, its production and importance, but also mentions threats to soils.

Soil means life on the educational website Global Dimension offers other ideas for considering global issues relating to soils, including land grabs, climate change and deforestation.

A Google search throws up many ideas for teaching about soils.

The IGC Award encourages students to consider their environmental impact and to develop environmental responsibility. Simply taking an interest in and caring for soils at their homes or in school is a simple and effective way to promote this.

Practical activities

Composting in schools (or at home) can be simple, informative and fun.

Certain food wastes (such as tea bags, coffee grounds, vegetable waste) and packaging (such as egg boxes, cardboard and waste paper which cannot be recycled) will form compost in about a year (in temperate countries) and a shorter time in warmer climates.

Students can watch the slow process, and then apply the compost to soils in the school.

UK WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) produces a guide to school composting.

Composting in open heaps can attract rats. It is probably best with students to use compost bins which can be bought or made. To find out how to make composting bins visit http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/4-diy-compost-bins-you-can-bu...

For more on composting and recycling visit http://www.recyclenow.com/recycle/recycle-school/composting

A more specialist form of composting is using worms in a wormery – which can be bought or made.

For advice on composting with worms in a wormery see https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=726

It is easy to make one: http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/how-to-make-your-own-wormery/ or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ordM5TWyFLw

(I’ve used a commercial wormery in my garden for 13 years, and compost all sorts of plant material, scraps of meat etc. It produces rich compost for the soil. I run this alongside a compost heap which takes garden waste and some kitchen waste).