Friends, here’s the truth.

Kids of all ages dig Soil.

Pashon Murray’s Soil Story explains the carbon cycle and how you can help bring it back into balance. (3.5 min.) Hey, Climate Defender Kids: practice your observation skills and tell a soil story!

Activities for Kids To Explore

• Grow a native carbon-storing butterfly meadow & discover blooms & creatures using iNaturalist.

• P-2nd grade: Create a compost observation jar and test out different materials to notice what can break down to make compost and soil.  

• 3rd-7th: Compost investigation by California Academy of Sciences

• 4th-5th: Set up a worm bin activity and resources for kids from Stopwaste.org

• Read about it! Marty McGuire Digs Worms! By Kate Messner (161 pages; juvenile chapter book)

• More Compost activities for kids from Tom’s of Maine

• Do you have a favorite tree? The MyTree calculator can help you find out how it helps you - by capturing rain, carbon, and pollutants.

• Children 8+: watch the recording of our webinar about the Mighty Beaver, and write/draw a picture for the Governor asking her to put an end to beaver hunting & trapping in Oregon.

3 Ways to make systemic change today

Linking arms with forest conservation groups, like Bark to protect existing in-tact forest ecosystems is, perhaps, the most powerful climate action Oregonians can take. This legislative session, scientists and conservation groups have been working hard to advance the Natural Climate Solutions Bill in the Oregon Legislature.

1. Protect Oregon’s Beavers. Beaver are essential climate workers, building habitats that capture and store carbon, as well as water for salmon. It’s time to stop trapping them on public lands. Read Bark’s summary and send a letter.  We can sign this petition to protect beavers on federally-managed lands and write to our legislators to support the 2023 Beaver Believer Bill.

2. Our ancient forests capture and store vast amounts of carbon pollution. Write a message using this form from Stand.Earth to ask the government of British Columbia to protect our bioregion’s remaining old-growth forests. 

3. Support other organizations working for systemic change: 

   • Mudbone Grown’s Solidarity Shares

   • Friends of Family Farmers

   • The Farmlink Project

   • Cultivate Oregon

   • Trees for Life Oregon

Digging Deeper

• Soil: The dirty climate solution. 1 hr podcast by How 2 Save a Planet 

• Tending the Wild: Native American knowledge and the management of California’s natural resources  by M. Kat Anderson 

• Kiss the Ground: documentary on regenerative ag available on Netflix

• Soil Food Web - In-depth information from Oregon’s Dr. Elaine Ingham. There’s even a program to become a soil regeneration expert!

• Electrify Now’s “Sequestration Week” webinars on soils, grasslands, and forests (March 2021).

Resources for Personal Change

• Support local BIPOC farmers (scroll down the resource list from Friends of Family Farmers)

• Seek out conscious farmers practicing regenerative methods that not only capture atmospheric carbon, but also produce healthy food and restored ecosystems. Join a CSA to support a farm directly! 

• Eat more consciously to slow the depletion of soil that is used for growing and producing food: eat lower on the food chain, ensure the food you do buy is not wasted, and avoid grain-fed beef. 

• Start a garden to learn about soil while you grow some of your own herbs or veggies. 

• If you already garden, up your game by learning very old practices - such as no-till chop & drop instead of spading; or introducing biochar, which improves nutrient holding capacity with carbon-rich soil. (See links at bottom of NRCS report.) Learn 5 ways to make your garden regenerative.

• Test your soil; what percent carbon or soil organic matter does it contain? Set a 5-year goal to increase it!

• Learn no-dig methods from experts like Charles Dowding (21 min.)

• Learn how to make better compost or start a worm bin to increase organic matter in your soil. Worm compost is terrific for house plants! 

• Establish a pollinator-friendly native prairie patch near your home with deep-rooting bunch grasses that feed soil.  The Meadowscaping Handbook contains plans and images of natives that may be new to you. The Oak Naturescaping Guide includes details on planning. 

• Make sure you’re not accidentally flushing forests down the toilet; read NRDC’s report “The Issue with Tissue 2.0.”

A Rest & Reconnection Exercise

Befriend a Tree - Notice when a particular tree grabs your attention. Get to know it well. Spend at least 10 minutes engaging with your tree:

Explore the tree: Gaze at the tree for five minutes. What does it tell you about itself? Trees belong to different species and have histories, families, stories, and unique qualities. Lean against the tree, touch the tree, feel its leaves, bark, flowers, fruit. What knowledge does it share with you? 

Climb the tree: Carefully climb (shoes off) and find a place to sit or lie safely and enjoy the view.

Tell the tree a story: Share a secret, your dreams, a prayer, or send a message to a loved one. Trees provide a non-judging space to express yourself.

Meditate with the tree:  Either sitting or lying down, breathe and become aware of the interconnected link of breath between you and the tree.

Stretch your body with the tree: Use the tree as a support to stretch your back, arms, legs and torso.