Week 10: BIG PROBLEMS

Over the Thanksgiving Break, many of us enjoyed some time unplugging from the rigors of 24/7 academia. Some of went off the grid completely, evading internet access for four whole days! It was #magical

Upon returning to the land of free Wi-Fi, one is faced with a number of options to plug back in: social media, video streaming, browsing. Some of us want to get caught up on the latest news, in which this was a comforting read:

of which #12 explained that at the current rate of soil loss, there are only 60 years of harvests left! Scary.

Delving deeper, the article explained how, despite the growing need for food in a world of 7 billion+, we are losing 12m hectares of soil a year to degradation. The reason: unsustainable agricultural practices, deforestation, climate change, and profit-seeking lobbying groups. Soil is a cornerstone of life on Earth. Without it, we will be in trouble. As the author puts it: "Almost all other issues are superficial by comparison. What appear to be great crises are slight and evanescent when held up against the steady trickling away of our subsistence."

The only solution seems to learn how to farm without soil or fix the trend of losing it. If there was ever a clearer sign that composting could save humanity...

In other news, Adidas designed a compostable shoe!