Letters From the Editors Dear Readers, The soil unit has opened my eyes about soil and its significance, and has inspired me to become the editor of this magazine. For the past two weeks, I have learned about the problems, solutions, and upstanders of the soil world. I am not just talking about people like Ron Finley, one of the 26.5 million Americans who live in a food desert and an upstander in South Central Los Angeles. Or the Rubio Canyon Cleanup Committee, planting trees and fighting invasive non-native plants that steal water from the natives. The billions of organisms that live in the soil make it fertile. Without them, we would not be able to grow food or breathe oxygen which means we would not exist. I have learned that there is very little healthy soil left in the world because of improper human use. I cannot tolerate the fact that around the world people are losing and wasting soil up to in 40 times the amount of time it takes to form. This has inspired me the most to be the editor of this magazine. I will try my best to help fix the problems that we have created. As Ron Finley said, “Food is the problem and food is the solution.” Or rather “We are the problem and we are the solution.” -Abbey P. I had a wonderful experience during the Soil Unit this year. I learned a lot about soil that I didn’t know before. I never knew much about soil besides the fact that it was part of the Earth and that people used it for gardening and planting different species of plants. I knew that there were worms and other different bugs such as pincher bugs in the soil, but I never knew about the many organisms that live in the soil as well. I never even called soil “soil,” I called it “dirt” or “the ground.” Ever since this year, I have learned and experienced many effective learning opportunities that have really given me a better understanding of things that I thought were so simple. I never thought of “digging” deeper into subjects that I thought were just a simple object. Soil to me was such a simple object in my perspective. I never took into consideration of the many great things that soil has given to us. Soil has given us life, plants to give us oxygen, etc. If soil has given us so much, wouldn’t it be only fair if we give something in return? Such as keeping it healthy and not polluting it with things that we use in our lives. The sad thing is that most people aren’t educated about the horrible things that we do to soil and plants in general. That’s why I am so grateful to have these great opportunities and experiences that I used to not have and I will treasure them forever. -Sarah W. Before the Soil Unit I though that air was the most necessary for life to function. I know now that without soil oxygen and human life wouldn’t exist. It is a lot more than just dirt. It is depended on to distribute water to plants and controls who much carbon is released into the atmosphere which is responsible for climate change. Without healthy soil plant life would not be able to grow and we depend on plant life for oxygen and food. Soil is made from organic material broken down by decomposers for example; mites. The nutrients in newly made soil allows strong and healthy plants to grow as well as other micro organisms living in soil. One problem is that topsoil is naturally disappearing through mostly erosion. Erosion is when topsoil is blown or washed away by wind or water. But studies show that human activity has also increased erosion. I learned about the importance of home grown food especially in food deserts which are areas which fresh produce is not available within a mile. Which means people with limited access to healthy food are more likely to not go the distance just to get fresh produce. When we visited the Ron Finley Project Garden I was surprised at how large and diverse it was. The garden was filled with banana trees, pomegranates, sunflowers, etc. I learned about the difference Finley’s garden made in the neighborhood by bringing the community together. He told us that when people asked him to tell them how to garden, he had them get their hands in the soil and do it instead of talk about it. -Ellie M.
The History of Arlington Gardens The property of the Arlington Garden before now was a vacant lot for about 40 years. But in 2003, the City and Caltrans started having meetings about the state of the lot and to determine its use. A Council Member, Steve Madison asked Pasadena citizens what they would like to see on the property. There was to be no restrooms, parking lots, or playing fields allowed to be constructed on the property. A woman named Betty McKenney suggested that they should plant a water wise Mediterranean climate garden. The idea was put into use and they created what is now the Arlington Garden.
The McKenney’s have planted about 400 trees and many other native plants that can survive our variety of weather changes and garden necessities such as umbrellas, benches, chairs, pots, paths, and the labyrinth. Most of the plants are also drought tolerant so not much water is needed for this garden.
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The Ron Finley Project
American Dirt
Finley’s food forests didn’t go unnoticed. When someone in his neighborhood comIn America about twenty-six million people live in a plained about the garden the city came down food desert. What’s a food desert? A food desert is an on him and his team. They were told to get rid area where fresh food (produce) is not available within of the garden, but with the support of 900 siga one mile distance from where a person lives. Food natures on change.com, the Ron Finley Project deserts are packed with convenience stores like 7/11 thrived. After Finley completed his TED Talk and fast food restaurants like McDonald’s. The probin 2013 his food forests became well known lem is that these food deserts are affecting people’s around the world. His neighbors and followers health and the close communities around the world. A volunteered to garden and left plants, trees, man named Ron Finley decided to address this dilemand flowers in the garden until even the pasma. sengers on the nearby train could see the sunIn 2010, he began with the grass in the flowers towering over the neighbor hood. Now, the garden includes a wide variety of sidewalk outside his home in South Central LA. The city told him that as long as he maintained the garden, fruits, vegetables, trees and flowers such as; pomegranates, bananas, various spinaches, he could keep it. With a band of voluntary gardeners sunflowers, tomatoes, etc. Ron Finley’s food from around Los Angeles that sidewalk was transformed into a food forest. “Growing your own food is forest began to appeal to kids and adults. He told American Dirt, “We gotta flip the script like printing your own money” Finley said during his on what a gangsta is — if you ain’t a gardenTED talk. Growing one vegetable plant will give you er, you ain’t gangsta.” Ron Finley enough seeds to feed your whole community with fresh food. Finley -Ellie M. created a garden where his community could walk a small distance to experience eating and gardening their own food without having to drive miles to find a single ‘fresh’ fruit that wasn’t filled with pesticides. He told us that these food forests wouldn’t just bring communities together but help to fix the obesity problem in the United States. “If kids grow kale, kids eat kale….” Finley said. If kids are educated about the importance of growing and eating their own food then the vegetables they grow and eat will affect their diet and health.
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Some “Barbaric Yawps” from Today’s Soil Advocates The Connection Within Us By Sarah W. The earth was the first object. One of the first objects in this universe. The Connection Within Us There was an explosion, and then there By wasSarah us. Waite The earth waswas the created first object. If the earth before us, One ofare thewe first objects inthe thisearth? universe. then made from There wasmade an explosion, Are we from the soil and the trees? and then there The rock andwas the us. gravel If Ifthe was created weearth are such things, before us, then we madewe from earth? thenareshouldn’t feelthe a connection? Are we made from soiltheand the of trees? A connection to ustheand spirit the earth? The rock and thetogravel A connection the parts of this beautiful object If that we are such things, has give us a part of itself so we can live? then shouldn’t we feel a connection? Is the earth even a living thing? AOr connection to us and the spiritusoflive theon? earth? is it just a rock things like A connection to the parts of this beautiful object That give us a part of itself so we can live? Buthas there is soil. IsSoil the earth even a living thing? that deepens through the crust Orand is itmakes just a the rock things like us live on? earth breathe. Doesn’t breathing make you But there is soil. Soil that deepens through the crust and makes the earth breathe. Doesn’t breathing make you a living being?
A debt to be repaid By Abbey P. Are we not all born to die Sink into the soil just to rise up again anew Haven’t all of us stained the holy ground With our bloodshed and our sorrowful tears Is soil not God? The true creator? I believe in the dirt beneath my feet I give myself to the breathing expanse Know I am your footprints I give myself to the filthy earth So that I may become one with my creator When you rise from the depths You will not know me But you will see me as your footprints Know me as the taste of fresh strawberries Hear me as the chirp of nearby cicadas For everything comes from the soil And to the ground all shall return Her
By Ellie M. Is it me that I see in the reflection of the earth? Young one who frolicked in the green She who could lock arms with the branches of the old oak And call the soil beneath the grass home When she blew away the seeds on a dandelion She brushed away the past and frayed leaves But buried her pixie toes in the soil of the present Where the little unwanted would also lie The words she sang Would sink down into the ground With the roots of my tomato And stay there forever
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American Dirt
Exclusive Article: Organism of the Year Featuring: The Mighty Mite Soil is one of the world’s most important natural resources. Together with air and water, it is essential for life on planet Earth. Soil not only plays a critical part in feeding the population, but it also recycles air, controls climate change, stores water and nutrients, and maintains hundreds of natural cycles that keep plants and animals alive. Think about the place you are sitting right now, the foundation of the building is being held up by soil. Think about your favorite dinosaur, we only found its bones because the soil preserved them. Not to mention that all our crops are grown in soil, and we would starve without it. Don’t forget that soil detoxifies pollutants. Thanks to the billions of organisms that live in the dirt, the soil can ‘clean’ the pollutants from the surface. One of these organisms is a particularly important decomposer, the mite. Mites break down organic material into nutrients which return to the soil, supplying plants with the food they need to survive. Without decomposers like soil mites, organic matter would never turn into soil, and we’d be walking waist deep in dead plants and animals. We tend to think of soil as a renewable resource, always being replenished by dead plants or animals. However, topsoil degradation is a significant environmental problem. Topsoil degradation is the loss of topsoil through improper use. Human activity has already degraded more than 7.5 million square miles of land, an area the size of the United States and Canada combined. The U.S is losing soil 10 times as fast as it can be produced, and China and India are losing it 30 to 40 times as fast! Though the future may look like a dust bowl, we can still restore the soil. No-till farming can greatly reduce soil loss and produces a thicker, healthier topsoil. No-till farming is the increasingly popular practice of not tilling, or turning over, the earth when growing crops. Herbicides are used to kill weeds, but no-till farmers can keep the weeds away partially by leaving crop residue on the ground after harvesting. No-till farming advocates have found that well-managed cover crops can also be used. Another effective method to reduce soil loss is organic farming. Using organic compost, nitrogen fixing plants, compost tea, and mulch help the organisms in the soil build a strong healthy topsoil. One of the most important organisms needed to maintain healthy soil is the mite. Mites are nutrient cyclers. They break down organic material and return nutrients to the soil. Plants use these nutrients to make the food and oxygen we depend on. If decomposers such as soil mites didn’t exist, there would be no oxygen, which means human life could not exist. Other organisms benefit from the mites’ nutrients too. Soil mites are an important part of the food chain, serving as both predator and prey. This regulates the population of other soil organisms that could be potentially harmful to the soil if they overpopulate. Without soil mites, there would not be a healthy balance in the soil. Something everyone can do to preserve topsoil is composting. Compost is essentially decaying organic material used as plant fertilizer, but let me tell you a secret: amazing things happen in a pile of
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ordinary compost. There are many organisms that break down foods to make compost. These organisms are bacteria, fungi, rotifers, protozoa, etc. As you know, these organisms decompose organic matter. But what you may not know is that while these organisms are breaking down the material, a stifling heat rises from the pile of old food scraps and last week’s newspapers. There are three main phases of composting. In the first stage, mesophilic microorganisms start to eat away at the material. They eat nearly anything and use carbon as an energy source and nitrogen as a protein source. They obtain this energy by oxidizing organic material, especially the carbon portion. This process heats up the compost pile rapidly within days. When the pile rises to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a different group of organisms takes over. These are thermophilic organisms, and they further decompose the material under high temperatures. As the heat slowly fades, the mesophilic organisms take over once again, to begin the cycle anew. If we take care of our soil, the result will be much richer and of higher quality than the soil we have now. As a national advocate for soil conservation, Howard Warren Buffett, said, “There are more living organisms in a tablespoon of highly organic soil than there are people on the planet.� Unlike most, Buffett understood the importance of the organisms that live in the soil, such as mites. The rest of us, pollute our water, soil, and planet without a second thought. But we can change the outcome of our planet. Make a difference for future generations. Make a difference for the hidden universe of organisms whose lives depend on your actions.
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American Dirt
Some Good Advice From Soil Critters Advice from an Ant “Teamwork is key” We may be small but we are a team. We all work hard to construct the colony, and all others look it at in awe. Each of us makes an impact on the colony, rain or shine. We always stick together even if disaster strikes, where we all link limbs and make a raft to keep most the colony and most importantly the pupae, our queen afloat in a flood. Working together to achieve a common goal is not only an effective strategy but it brings us together as a colony.
Advice from an Earthworm “Don’t be afraid to try new things” Never be afraid to eat something because it looks bad. It probably tastes good. Even though I normally eat dead plant material, I also eat dead animals and live plants like Red Clover. I had my first taste of manure a few days ago, I was afraid to try it at first, but when I finally took a bite I was in heaven. It tasted delicious. I am not afraid to try new things anymore, anything organic works for me.
Advice from a Mole “Always have savings for later” Earthworms are my favorite food. I eat them all the time, but I only need 50g of earthworms a day. Sometimes I find earthworms after eating what I need, so I store them for later. It is important to save them just in case I run out of food. You never know. I always have a special storage chamber for them. I store them alive, but I immobilize them with a paralyzing bite to the head segment first. I have a few hundred in storage. There could be a food shortage any time, and I have to stay prepared at all times
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Poetry That Will Make You Ponder the Meaning of Life Our Days Were Good Days And Our Memories Still Are Who are we? Who are the birds and the leaves? Who are the bees? This bee, and this flower The bee who dances in the pollen This flower who sways in the breeze This simple, beautiful, gentle, temporary little bee This vulnerable, delicate, lovely little flower I don’t remember why we’re here I do recall the way you smile like a guilty child The way you laugh like a hungry seagull The way you cry, like the eye of a thundering hurricane Have I wasted my life, heaven? Smiling and sobbing, screaming and crooning We will all die of something, eventually Is it the riches, and the sorrows that follow That make us who we are? By Abbey P.
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Little Flower I saw a silence in the sky that only I had seen the movement of the clouds was quiet, not still the sky was my canvas that I couldn’t reach but I could reach the ground, home the dirt would take me in with open arms the bottom of my shoes would welcome those arms the dancing branches were still in a tree pose they would stay there until my flower grew they would have a life of giving and taking like you and me my little flower will give me a canvas One Wild and Precious Life one that I can touch one where another little flower will grow The wind made a tranquil noise where will his little stems go? that is hard to describe. It soothed through the minds By Ellie M. of the friends who were around. I realized at that moment that no one is the same; all our feelings are unique. I could feel my nose starting to run, while the girl to my right could feel the warmth from her breath hit her nose. The leaves, waving to me as if they are going on a journey; and the birds in their nests above, like apartments in the city. I closed my eyes and listened to the birds as the snake-like trellis slithered overhead. Smelling the scent of the lavender herbs through the cold wind that caught me half dead. I woke. The weather broke me sober; I’ve never been colder. By Sarah W.
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What’s your favorite color? A. red, orange, or yellow B. blue, green, pink, or purple C. silver, gold, or bronze Oh no! Your two best friends are fighting! What do you do? A. You try to help make them forgive each other. Stay on the bright side! B. You stay out of it and wait until the tension cools down C. You stand up and make them talk it out until the problem is gone! What’s your idea of the perfect Saturday? A. Hanging out with your friends! Make the most of your free social time! B. Reading a good book or doing something chill. Whatever feels right. C. Sticking to your schedule. You’ve got to organize that dance, go to lunch with a friend, make dinner for your family, etc. Your out with your friends but you can’t decide what to do….. A. Agree on an equal vote or do a little bit of what everyone wants to do B. Whatever they wanna do is fine with me! C. Come up with your own idea and they might just have to go with it! I mean your the host after all….. Your ideal date with your crush…. A. Ice skating, froyo, than a movie B. Whatever they wanna do is fine with me! Netflix at home is good.. C. I plan an organized schedule of fun filled activities!
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Mostly A’s. You are a sunflower! You are optimistic, enjoy the sun, bold and not afraid to stand up and say something
Mostly B’s. You are a willow tree! You go with the flow, generous, and the peacemaker out of all your friends
Mostly C’s. You are a oak tree! You are the leader of your garden (your friend group), and you are always coming up with new ideas, leader figure