World Soil Day 2021 with Maree Lowes

Held on December 5th each year, World Soil Day invites us to take a moment to look down and celebrate the intricate, life-giving building blocks of Spaceship Earth - soil.

Tucked away beneath our feet, soil is home to more than one-quarter of all life on this planet, from wriggling worms to microscopic bacteria, and each one of these tiny beings plays a crucial role in the networks and cycles that make life on Earth possible. First Nations communities have known this for millenia and now increasing research is emerging through peer-reviewed Western science to say it, too: We Are Soil - in our stomachs, on our skin and in our souls.

To mark the special occassion of World Soil Day, we invited Dr. Bronner's Ambassador Maree Lowes to take over our Instagram! Maree shined a light on a better story for soil health, and how perfectly Spaceship Earth's living networks fit together, if we tend to them thoughtfully and let them do their thing. 

She shared in this wonder with some of her soil-loving friends including Mick Laurie, also known as Gumbaynggir-Yaegl Artist Maanyung. Mick helped us appreciate what it means to be a custodian and protector of nature, and the importance of listening to each piece of life that surrounds us - from the greatest eucalyptus trees to the tiny microorganisms that make home in their roots.

Mick also shared with us his song Nguura. Created in collaboration with Headland, this piece in Mick's ancestral Gumbaynggir language invokes our shared responsibility to live in harmony with nature and each other.

Gather, come together men prepare fire to share out, share.
We all walk about to sit together, listen deeply, learn to love.
Gather, come together men prepare fire to share out, share.
Follow your path to share love to camp.
Gather, come together men prepare fire to share out, share.

To help our community understand exactly how we're so linked to the earth, how we truly are soil, Maree was also joined by soil microbiologist Walter Jehne for a conversation on the value of understanding Spaceship Earth's life-giving soil. Maree and Walter went heart-to-heart and head-to-head exploring the science behind soil, and how this knowledge helps us connect with both the world around us, and ourselves.

As we come to understand the damage humans and industrial agriculture have done to soil's delicate ecosystems, it's easy to feel powerless to fight back and heal our planet. It's important to remember and find courage in what you as an individual can do to catalyse change. As consumers we have choices - we must ask questions about how and where our food is grown. Growing your own food and shopping at local farmer's markets not only better supports your community, but avoiding industrial agriculture helps keep vital nutrients in the soil. In turn, the food we grow can then provide us with the energy and nourishment we need. Let's make World Soil Day every day, and restore these precious cycles that sustain every living thing!