Over at GOOD magazine, July's 30-day Challenge is to Waste Less. (Twitter hashtag: #30daysofgood) Here at GRACE, we've been having a great time checking out the the GOOD staff updates and the responses to the questions they've been putting to their readers.
California's Central Valley and New York's Suffolk County have the shared problem of nitrate contaminated drinking water as shown in two separate studies. The question is, how long can this pollution be tolerated?
Sustainable crop production is a way of growing or raising food in an ecologically and ethically responsible manner. This includes adhering to agricultural and food production practices that do not harm the environment, that provide fair treatment to workers, and that support and sustain local communities.
At the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (a pioneer educational institution and the first museum created expressly for kids), a workshop on soil teaches kids about dirt and its wonders. Watch the video and learn with the kids about soil, seeds, and the world class Olympic snail race.
We know less about life in the earth under our feet than we do about the far side of the moon, yet every plant and animal you can think of depends on this vast hidden ecosystem. Dig into this underground universe and meet its tiny but helpful residents using Discovery Education’s "The Dirt on Soil" guide.
Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes. This site includes an overview of basic soil quality concepts, a soil quality glossary, and the online Soil Biology Primer.
Healthy soil can improve crop and livestock production. The publications and other resources listed on this webpage offer information on how to assess, improve and maintain soil health for both croplands and pastures.
Recently, the Union of Concerned Scientists put together a policy brief, in which they outline a vision of a healthful alternative to the unsustainable practices that are involved in industrial agriculture. Accompanied by a bright interactive web feature illustrating the components of a healthy farm, the brief spells out the principles, practices and benefits that come along with a shift toward farming based on ecological principles, or agroecology.