You think you know about soil? Since you’re reading a blog on Erosion Control’s site, you probably do, but if you want to dig deeper—or perhaps get your kids involved in thinking about soil-related topics—the Soil Science Society of America has a campaign for you.
The SSSA started an educational campaign last month, in honor of its 75th anniversary, aimed at young audiences. Called “The Story of Soil,” it includes three public service announcements—brief videos explaining soil’s relation to medicine and human health, food production, and clean water. You can view the videos here.
The SSSA deals with many aspects of soil science, including agricultural practices, ecosystem sustainability, and bioremediation. Although erosion control isn’t prominently listed among its topics, a quick search of its website turns up dozens of papers on the subject, and of course erosion and sedimentation are integral to many of the soil-related subjects the society covers. In addition to the campaign for kids, it has materials and some online classes available for professionals.
Whatever you do, don’t call it dirt. One of the campaign’s messages: “Dirt is soil out of place.” A line on the campaign’s site reads “We want to keep and protect soil. Dirt is something we want to get rid of.” That’s about as succinct a statement of erosion and sediment control as you’ll find.