Today we’re going to talk about dirt. That’s right, plain old garden soil. Why and what led to this topic and what does it have to do with environmental concerns?

What led to this topic is the World Economic Forum’s “What if…” series of blog posts featured in 2012. Experts answered such questions as “What if there were a large-scale Internet failure”, “What if a deadly new virus jumped from animals to humans” and the one we will consider today, “What if soil runs out”.

These scenarios are all situations that mankind has a chance to do something about so they won’t happen. They’re all devastating, though, and most of them are dramatic. Running out of soil sounds considerably less so, rather humdrum, not likely to make tomorrow’s front page.

In fact soil is a microcosm of life on the earth and environmental concern. It is connected to concerns about water, food production, global warming, health and security. It is, as quoted in the March 23, 2013 issue of Science News, “…the diverse but integrated community of living and inanimate things that make up the ground beneath our feet”. At the same time, it is far more graspable in the mind than most environmental concerns, like global warming or energy use. You are probably in the presence of a houseplant anchored in soil right now.

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Mining has changed. In 1848 William Marshall found gold at Sutter’s mill in California. Now, instead of panning for gold, urban miners are taking our waste apart. The materials we recycle or throw away have become very valuable. Global consumption of natural resources has risen far beyond the limits of what nature can supply, and pollution has grown with consumption. Pristine regions that purify and supply water, maintain life-supporting biodiversity and store CO 2 are becoming scarce and must be protected. Enter urban mining, which generally reduces energy consumption, pollution and conventional mining of raw materials.

We are all stakeholders in urban mining. We consume and dispose of products. We need a healthy environment. We want to keep the costs of our consumption and our community’s clean-up services low. You are already familiar with basic recycling collections and bins for cardboard, paper, glass, PET and PE beverage bottles, textiles and aluminum and other metals.

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Those of you who come from arid climates will be able to empathize with my feelings when, many years ago, an airplane transported then 6-year old me from golden-brown California to the green woodlands of the eastern United States. It was as if I had magically landed in some exotic paradise completely foreign to all my previous experience of nature. Even in summer, New Jersey was greener than the Golden State had ever been in springtime.

Switzerland is green too, and this is the time of year to enjoy the natural surroundings for which the country is rightly famous. Our human programming responds positively to green, and a few moments with a dictionary of symbols or dream images reveals that green is the color of vitality, renewal, reconciliation and hope. Stained glass windows in medieval churches often show the Cross as green to symbolize Christ’s renewing power and humanity’s longing to return to paradise.

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When I was growing up, the United States was gripped by a firm faith in the miracle of technology. Given enough time, technology would solve all of society’s problems. Fast-forward to 2012 and we now realize that technology causes as many problems as it solves and that many of mankind’s problems are far more political and social than technological.

There is, however, one aspect of technology that is often overlooked–that technology itself is the product of mankind’s enormous ingenuity. That is the real miracle, and this ingenuity can be applied to political and social fields as well. The capacity of human beings to meet challenges with innovation is as old as mankind and shows no signs of diminishing.

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 The phrase “you are what you eat” is an old one but is heard more often now that we are becoming increasingly aware of just what constitutes a healthy diet. Those who eat mostly fruits, veggies and grains while limiting animal products and eschewing sweets and junk food should be able, we are told, to avoid certain diseases and enjoy better health in general. In addition to this physical interpretation of the saying, there is another meaning that is just as relevant: the sociological implication. Tell me what you eat and I can make a good guess at your lifestyle, your income level, your attitude toward environmental matters and maybe even your political leanings. I'd venture to say that what you eat can reflect your whole philosophy of life.

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