The BIG picture…

….. our BIOSPHERE

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
 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 !
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

 The IMPORTANCE of SOILS
 “SOIL is the most COMPLEX ECOLOGICAL
SYSTEM on the PLANET”

 IMPORTANT to CIVILIZATIONS
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmA6sw5ZSyk

 GROWING POPULATIONS, but LIMITED LANDS

 SOIL is an INTERFACE between CRUST and

ATMOSPHERE
 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
 INTERFACE between CRUST and
ATMOSPHERE
 TEMPERATURE
 INTERFACE between CRUST and
ATMOSPHERE
 CARBON CYCLE through gas exchange
 INTERFACE between CRUST and
ATMOSPHERE
 NITROGEN CYCLE
 INTERFACE between CRUST and
ATMOSPHERE
 MINERAL CYCLES - Phosphorus
 INTERFACE between CRUST and
ATMOSPHERE
 WATER CYCLE
 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
 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
 SOIL MATRIX
 3 PHASE SYSTEM – The arrangement of
SOLID, LIQUID and GAS in SOILS
 The IDEAL soil …
 ROOTS grow in PORE SPACES
 ROOTS grow in OPTIMAL CONDITIONS
 Best Pore Spaces
 Best Water
 Best Oxygen
 Best Nutrients
 ROOTS also grow …
…in the PATH of LEAST RESISTANCE
 AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
 CROPLAND
 AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
 GRAZING LAND
 AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
 FOREST LAND
 AGRICULTURAL USES of SOILS
 ORNAMENTAL LANDSCAPES
 NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of
SOILS
 RECREATIONAL
 NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of
SOILS
 BUILDING FOUNDATIONS
 Shrink-swell
 NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of
SOILS
 BUILDING FOUNDATIONS
 Load Bearing Capacity
 NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of
SOILS
 WASTE DISPOSAL
 NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of
SOILS
 BUILDING MATERIALS
 Traditional Sod and Adobe
 NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of
SOILS
 BUILDING MATERIALS
 Newer Rammed Earth and Cobb techniques
 NON-AGRICULTURAL USES of
SOILS
 LANDSCAPE BUILDING MATERIALS
 Engineered Soils
 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) …
 LAND USE in the WORLD
 … and SOIL
DEGRADATION

 Erosion
 Pollution
 Loss of
Organic Matter
 Desertification
 Changes in Chemistry
 Salination – Saltiness
 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

 http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=5M3QT0CI9wA
 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!)