Community Education Specialist
A Fresh Soil Health Resource
In 2015, a group of graduate students at the University of California, Davis attended a hearing on California's Healthy Soils Initiative. They witnessed firsthand the power of storytelling to captivate an audience, as well as the challenges of communicating uncertainty and nuance regarding the dynamic nature of soil.
They started a seminar to discuss and develop science communication, which evolved into a campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of soil, which caught the attention of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and ultimately led to a collaboration to produce educational resources (links below).
Their mission is:
- To inspire the next generation of soil explorers for the benefit of all
- To educate that soils are living bodies that harbor a diversity of life, and support and sustain life as we know it
- To empower young power with solutions to some of our greatest global challenges; solutions that lie right beneath our feet!
After years of work, the Soil Life website has officially launched.
The site includes
1) An interactive, graphics-based introduction to soil science;
2) A media hub of soils-related content, and
3) Clear, actionable ways for people to 'get involved' protecting and promoting soils in their everyday lives.
They have also launched the first video in a 6-part series highlighting the connection between soil and life.
Check out their website,
Watch "The Story of Soil and Food," and
Share with your networks (especially the educators and young people in your lives!)
The website and videos were produced under a UC Davis/USDA-NRCS collaborative project and are part of a national campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of soil.