​This is quite an interesting article on how healthy soil contributes to the overall health of the planet – and how mankind is generally not implementing land management practices that maintain or restore healthy soil.  Many farmers and ranchers are beginning to integrate regenerative farming and ranching practices, but many more are not.  Even if you don’t have a farm, ranch, or large plot of land, there are things you can do to help maintain soil health in your little corner of the world. 

• If you have a yard or a small plot of land, you can work to make your soil healthier.  Check out regenerative farming techniques and learn about native plants.  Use the least toxic pest management methods and use them as seldom as possible.  Encourage native insects, birds, animals, and reptiles, and do your research before you bring in a “beneficial” species that may actually do more harm than good.  Control non-native invasive species so they don’t crowd out the natives.
• Be aware of what you pour down the drains in your house or workplace.  Some of these chemicals will make it into the environment where they can cause mischief. 
• Pick up litter.  It’s never beneficial. 
• If you don’t own or manage land, consider joining a habitat restoration organization or similar group.
• Cut your carbon and methane emissions to help slow associated climate changes that also degrade soil health.

https://earth.org/soil-restoration-is-the-fastest-way-to-cool-the-planet/
 

​When you’re looking for information on sustainable practices (or anything else) it’s important to look for reputable sources of information but it’s also important to ask lots of questions.  I was recently looking for information on an ecologically sound way to get rid of a serious flea beetle infestation that was killing my evening primrose flowers but nothing else in my yard.  The evening primrose flowers support a wide variety of night-feeding moths and other interesting insects that I want to keep around.  I started by looking for natural ways to get rid of pests and got several listings of ideas that included neem oil, soapy water, and nematodes.  However, then I asked a second question.  Will these natural methods also harm the insects I am trying to support?  Well, yes.  Neem oil will kill a wide variety of insects, not just flea beetles.   Soapy water will also kill a wide variety of insects, including the ladybugs that were eating the spider mites that were also attacking the primroses.  And the soap residue on the plant leaves will keep indiscriminately killing insects until it’s washed off.  Nematodes are also non-selective, and some varieties can migrate fairly long distances through the ground to places you don’t want them.  So, on to more questions.  How can I selectively kill the flea beetles and nothing else?  Oh, and also slow down the spider mites so they don’t get out of hand.  Don’t laugh, but I finally ended up listening to a great audiobook and picking the flea beetle caterpillars off by hand so they couldn’t hatch into adults that would lay more eggs.  I also used the hose to blast adult beetles off the plants.  As of this writing, there do not appear to be flea beetles on my well-munched primrose plants and they did bloom enough to feed the night insects and produce seeds for next year’s crop (they’re a biannual plant).  Fingers crossed for next spring.  If I had not continued to ask questions, I would have eliminated the flea beetles, but also all of the beneficial insects I want to keep.