Sources
00:10 — "We have an estimated 60 years of farmable soil left on the planet. Mostly due to unsustainable agriculture."
00:55 — "Earth has lost a third of its farmable soil in the last 40 years."
FAO - Soils are endangered, but the degradation can be rolled back
01:22 — "In the United States we’re losing soils at 10 times the rate it takes to regenerate it."
THE GUARDIAN - The world needs topsoil to grow 95% of its food – but it's rapidly disappearing
01:45 — "Industrial farming costs the environment $3 trillion a year."
TRUCOST - Industrialized farming practices cost the environment some $3 trillion per year
05:13 — "Roughly 30 soccer fields of soil are lost every single minute."
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN - Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues
05:20 — "Today, roughly 70 percent of our soils have already been destroyed."
TIME - What If the World’s Soil Runs Out?
12:36 — "In the longest study of its kind, organic agriculture has been proven to match or surpass conventional yields, emit fewer 35% greenhouse gases, use 45% less energy, and build soil rather than deplete it."
RODALE INSTITUDE - The Farming Systems Trial
13:35 — "A healthy tablespoon of soil contains 6 billion microorganisms."
KRISTIN OHLSON - The Soil Will Save Us (14)
13:38 — "Tens of thousands of different species."
THE CONVERSATION - To restore our soils, feed the microbes
13:49 — "Fungal mycelial networks act like a vast underground internet."
PAUL STAMETS - 6 ways mushrooms can save the world
14:00 — "With only a 1% increase of organic matter, soils hold an additional 25,000 gallons of water per acre - reducing the risk of both drought and flood."
NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION SERVICE - Soil Health Key Points
14:10 — "When plants absorb CO2, carbon in the form of sugars is fed to soil microbes through the roots. Synthetic fertilizers disrupt the soil’s balance of microbes, beneficial fungus and organic matter."
GRIST - New research: synthetic nitrogen destroys soil carbon, undermines soil health
14:14 — "As a storage container for what was once atmospheric carbon, enough healthy soil could offset virtually all greenhouse gases on the planet. Reference: By increasing the carbon content of soils worldwide by a mere 2%, we would offset 100% of all greenhouse gas emissions on the planet."
DR. RATTAN LAL - Ohio State University
14:41 — "Regenerative agriculture can not only feed the world, but may be the planet’s only hope to actively reverse climate change."
THE GUARDIAN - We need regenerative farming, not geoengineering
25:48 — "It would take over 3 acres of solar panels to power 100 homes."
BUSINESS JOURNAL - How many acres of solar power panels do 1,000 homes need?
26:22 — "Just a two-inch piece of biochar, if unfolded, would have the surface area the size of a football field."
SCIENCE DAILY - Biochar shows benefits as manure lagoon cover
27:09 — "Biochar is emerging as one of the planet’s best solutions to climate change."
VIRGIN EARTH FINALISTS - Al Gore and Richard Branson’s Virgin Earth Challenge accepted worldwide submissions to pick the planet’s best solution to climate change. When narrowed down to the top eleven finalists, 3 of those were projects involving biochar.
31:12 — "The global fertilizer market is worth $170 billlion."
BHARAT BOOK BUREAU - Global Fertilizers Industry to soar to $ 172 billion by 2015
31:25 — "After WW2 there was an excess of bomb-making material which was turned into fertilizer."
MOTHER JONES - A Brief History of Our Deadly Addiction to Nitrogen Fertilizer
33:54 — "44 billion pounds of chemical fertilizers are used each year."
EWG - Farming and Your Tap Water
34:19 — "Up to 50% of nitrogen fertilizers are washed away with rain and irrigation water. A drastic pollution leading to an ocean dead zone the size of New Jersey."
KRISTIN OHLSON - The Soil Will Save Us (83-85)
34:35 — "Animal factory farms - easily the most pollutive activity on the planet."
THE GUARDIAN - Why factory farming is not just cruel – but also a threat to all life on the planet
34:51 — “Most of these grains are genetically modified organisms.”
VOX - How widespread are GM foods?
34:57 — "Over 80% of GMOs are specifically engineered to withstand higher doses of an herbicide called glyphosate, which the state of CA has officially labeled as carcinogenic."
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE - Review of GMO safety assessment studies: glyphosate residues in Roundup Ready crops is an ignored issue
35:05 — "The use of glyphosate has risen 10,000% since 1974."
FULMER SILL - Glyphosate Scientific Studies
39:52 — "Roughly 2,800 calories for every human being on the planet are produced every single day."
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - The Paradox of Undernourishment
40:04 — "The average bite of food travels over 1500 miles to make it to your grocery store."
CUESA - How Far Does Your Food Travel to Get to Your Plate?
40:14 — "During WW2, 20 million home gardens produced 40% of the nation’s food."
CHICAGO TRIBUNE - Victory garden revisited
40:27 — "US Farmers Markets have more than quadrupled in the last 20 years."
PBS - Farmers markets are everywhere. But do laborers see benefits?
51:32 — "32 million tons of food are thrown out every year in the US."
NEW YORK TIMES - Food Waste Is Becoming Serious Economic and Environmental
51:35 — "Over 97% of food waste ends up in landfills."
WASHINGTON POST - In United States, there’s a lot of food being wasted
