Author name: Alfred

Becoming the Good Soil is a project to address climate change and increase food security initiated by Church of the Nativity. The rationale for the project and helpful resources are contained in a tri-fold brochure that can be printed and/or shared. This project is supported by a grant from the Advisory Council on the Stewardship […]

Throughout the bible there is reference to the good (fertile) soil (Ezekiel 17:5) and its importance to both our physical and spiritual well-being (Luke 8:5, Mark 4:26-29). In the parable of the good soil Jesus says ”other seeds fell on good soil (in contrast to thorns and rocks) and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold,

In the endeavor to produce more nutritious food, one of humanities greatest challenges is that many of the steps that might be taken to increase food productivity will have the opposite effect because of climate change. About 25% of the planet’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions result from agriculture and deforestation (1), and as the planet

The growth rate of climate forcing due to human-caused GHGs increased over 20 % in the past decade mainly due to resurging growth of atmospheric CH4, thus making it increasingly difficult to achieve targets such as limiting global warming to 1.5 °C or reducing atmospheric CO2 below 350 ppm. To achieve such targets now require negative emissions, i.e.,

Soils constitute the largest terrestrial organic C pool (~1,500 petagrams* (Pg, 1015 grams ) C to a depth of 1 m; 2,400 Pg C to 2 m depth), which is three times the amount of CO2 currently in the atmosphere (~830 Pg C) and 240 times the current annual fossil fuel emissions (~10 Pg). Thus,

The first comprehensive assessments of potential soil C sequestration on managed lands for the United States were led by researchers from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center of The Ohio State University. These syntheses focused on the potential of US soils to sequester

Increasing soil carbon will increase total soil organic matter (SOM), which is the very foundation for healthy and productive soils (1). Organic farmers often judge and monitor soil health based on the amount of organic matter in each farm field. Active soil organic matter refers to a diverse mix of living and dead organic materials

A review of the use of organic supplements to cropland indicated that application of long-lasting organic amendments increased organic carbon by up to 90% versus unfertilized soil, and up to 100% versus chemical fertilizer treatments. Furthermore, regular addition of organic residues, particularly composted ones, increased soil physical fertility, mainly by improving aggregate stability and decreasing

To make compost, organic materials are necessary, like yard waste, food waste, wastewater treatment plant residuals, animal manures, or others. Currently, some organic wastes are finding their way to the landfill, where they decompose anaerobically (without oxygen) and methane is emitted—a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Landfills contribute 20% of the total methane emissions

By composting at home and the church, we can: 1) reduce the amount of garbage we generate, 2) create valuable compost for home and church gardens, and 3) decrease our carbon footprints by sequestering carbon in the soil. As part of our goal to achieve “zero waste” on our church campus, Nativity uses a composting