1. The BIG picture…
….. our BIOSPHERE

2. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

3. PRECYCLING GIVING THOUGHT to what you NEED
Making CHOICES with the LEAST IMPACT
If buying NEW is the best choice… CONSIDER PACKAGING and it’s IMPACT
USE it up… WEAR it out… MAKE it do… …or DO WITHOUT !

4. WHY REDUCE our IMPACT on the EARTH?
The United States is 5% of the WORLD’S POPULATION, but…
… the United States PRODUCES 25% of the WORLD’S WASTE!!!
This is our BASIS for SUSTAINABILITY

5. The IMPORTANCE of SOILS
“SOIL is the most COMPLEX ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM on the PLANET”
IMPORTANT to CIVILIZATIONS
GROWING POPULATIONS, but LIMITED LANDS
SOIL is an INTERFACE between CRUST and ATMOSPHERE

6. The SOIL's CRUST
If you have a GIGANTIC APPLE - 200’ in diameter …. the SKIN would represent the CRUST of the earth…and the SOIL:EARTH ratio

7. INTERFACE between CRUST and ATMOSPHERE
TEMPERATURE

8. INTERFACE between CRUST and ATMOSPHERE
CARBON CYCLE through gas exchange

9. INTERFACE between CRUST and ATMOSPHERE
NITROGEN CYCLE

10. INTERFACE between CRUST and ATMOSPHERE
MINERAL CYCLES - Phosphorus

11. INTERFACE between CRUST and ATMOSPHERE
WATER CYCLE

12. The IMPORTANCE of SOILS
IMPORTANT to CIVILIZATIONS
GROWING POPULATIONS, but LIMITED LANDS
SOIL is an INTERFACE between CRUST and ATMOSPHERE
SOIL is a MEDIUM for PLANT GROWTH

13. SOIL is a MEDIUM for PLANT GROWTH
Anchorage
Water – H2O
Oxygen – O2
14 Essential Nutrients
N, P, K,
Ca, Mg, S
B, Cl, Cu, Fe,
Ni, Mn, Mo, Zn

14. SOIL MATRIX
3 PHASE SYSTEM – The arrangement of SOLID, LIQUID and GAS in SOILS
The IDEAL soil …

15. ROOTS grow in PORE SPACES

16. ROOTS grow in OPTIMAL CONDITIONS
Best Pore Spaces
Best Water
Best Oxygen
Best Nutrients
ROOTS also grow …
…in the PATH of LEAST RESISTANCE

17. AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
CROPLAND

18. AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
GRAZING LAND

19. AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
FOREST LAND

20. AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
ORNAMENTAL LANDSCAPES

21. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
RECREATIONAL

22. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
BUILDING FOUNDATIONS
Shrink-swell

23. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
BUILDING FOUNDATIONS
Load Bearing Capacity

24. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
WASTE DISPOSAL

25. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
BUILDING MATERIALS
Traditional Sod and Adobe

26. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
BUILDING MATERIALS
Newer Rammed Earth and Cobb techniques

27. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
LANDSCAPE BUILDING MATERIALS
Engineered Soils

28. LAND USE in the United States
Most land is in AGRICULTURAL (25%), RANGELAND (27%) and FOREST LAND (27%)
Much is being LOST to URBAN DEVELOPMENT (7% and growing) …

29. LAND USE in the WORLD … and SOIL DEGRADATION Erosion Pollution
Loss of Organic Matter
Desertification
Changes in Chemistry
Salination – Saltiness

30. LAND USE in the WORLD SOILS are NON-RENEWABLE in our lifetimes
BMP’s – Best Management Practices are important to understand and implement to MAINTAIN SOIL QUALITY

31. What Can You Do? VALUE: Reduce Material Consumption
I value longevity, quality over quantity, sharing and spacious simplicity
VALUE: Conserve Energy and Natural Resources
I value the limited gifts and life forms of the natural world and will not waste them thoughtlessly
From BE the CHANGE - ACTION GUIDE
ACTIONS and IMPACT
What actions do I do, daily or regularly, to lessen my impact on the earth?
(Big or small, it doesn’t matter…. baby steps count!)