114k square miles regenerated! Personally, I think its a must watch for people to truly understand the situation we are in with the soils, why its important to save our soils, and how we can help. The bonus being that plant-rich dietary patterns just so happen to also be whatmajor health institutionsand progressive Government departments likeHealth Canadaare advocating for to tackle rising rates of obesity and chronic disease, and improve quality of life. kisstheground. For a great deal of land, there are other, more evidence-based ways to sequester carbon. Our mission is to awaken people to the possibilities of regeneration and inspire participation in this movement through media, communications, education, workshops, immersive programming, and advocacy. I was also pleased the documentary shone a light on food waste and composting these are two things that many of us can introduce into our daily lives with minimal barriers to entry. Sounds pretty ambitious to champion this form of animal agriculture as a climate solution without strong empirical evidence? They correctly state that Bison would pass through land and not be seen for around a year. Water and carbon escape into the atmosphere in enormous plumes blanketing the entire northern hemisphereshown onscreen as ominous swirls of red. Kiss the Ground has the perfect documentary mix of celebrity activists and wise elder scientists. Its a story about hope and solutions. Overlaying it, a swirling heat map of global atmospheric carbon, changing from dark red to cool blue over the course of a year. Regenerate America is an unprecedented coalition of farmers, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals from every corner of our country and all political stripes, convened by the national soil health 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization, Kiss the Ground. Its clear to see that levels of CO2 in the atmosphere above the main agricultural areas increase significantly in the main tilling/ploughing months, and then as plant cover increases in the fields, it drops! The central tenant is that its a diet that places enormous emphasis on calories from plants and de-emphasizes calories from animal products. Either way, shifting the typical diet in such a way is a certain win for humanity and all life on Earth, and thus something that not only should have been made clearer in Kiss the ground, but something that everyone reading should strongly consider. Also that we can fix this and the fix is quite simple. Whats glaringly clear from Hawkens report is that when it comes to our food and greenhouse gas emissions, thetwo areas we can make the biggest impactare reducing food waste (number one solution)and moving to a plant-rich diet (number three solution). Today, our platform reaches millions through immersive media and education initiatives. Often, our best solutions arent actually that innovative; they simply mimic natural processes and what the Earth already does. We should harness the regenerative power of the earth and its processes. We are made of carbon (16%) and its the element that life is based upon! But the #1 US crop is GMO corn, sprayed with Glyphosate, which is now found in their drinking water and kills the microbes in our guts. Hailing from Newcastle, Australia, she predominantly writes about climate and animal rights issues, alongside her work in psychology. Biodiverse cover crops to feed the soil biology and protect the soils. Heres what he said: From the beginning stages of pre-production for the movie, Ray and Gabe were proposed because of their profound passion and dedication to soil health and their amazing ability to share it with others. There was also no mention of tropical forest restoration which has significantly greater potential at pulling carbon out of the atmosphere compared to grazing cows on land no matter what practice is employed. Our modern farming methods are not concerned with soil longevity or quality and are significantly to blame for the destruction of the soils. There are no simple solutions to complex problems. Tilling and chemical agricultural methods have disrupted this cycle and increased the rate of carbon release. The French Minister for agriculture proposed a 4 in 1000 plan, to increase the organic content of our soils by 0.4% per year. Also, I must confess that I did not fully understand the implications of a film crew following me all over the country. Its filled with intelligent people who refuse to shy away from the impending climate cataclysm and have instead dedicated themselves to the daily work of facing itas farmers, educators, scientists, and yes, even as politicians. Its especially interesting to me as I am working towards a biology degree and hope to become a soil scientist. Why? However, given the notable absence of well qualified environmental scientists discussing evidence to support their ambitious claims, in favor of anecdotal experience from ranchers, just how much of the information in this documentary can we trust and reliably use to shape our food system and inform our food choices? Im not saying the filmmakers should have gotten a token Black person, but they couldnt have gone wrong centering the voices of people for whom the stakes of not reversing climate change are much higher than their own. As Ian Somerhalder says in the documentary, Cows can be good. While many blame cows for carbon emissions, and rightfully so, they can actually be a part of the solution. I dont understand how they didnt emphasize that you still have to eat a plant rich diet if you want everyone in the world to eat pasture raised animals Theres only so much to land and hence animals you can raise. After all, its communities of color, low-income communities, and immigrant communities who do the majority of the essential work of growing food and yet are most exploited and harmed by the agroindustrial complex. I was in California at a meeting and met Finnian Makepeace, who is the groups co-founder. View and change your settings here, Regenerative Farm Map Regeneration International, Donate Regeneration International | Organic Consumers (netdonor.net), Compost Toilets in Africa: Human Feces as Fertilizer | Thrive4Good (thriveforgood.org). A powerful message during a time where the climate emergency is without a doubt causing climate anxiety. I dont know a single holistic management practitioner that advocates eating more beef. Doing just one will make a difference!! best charter schools in nashville. Required fields are marked *. Unfortunately, these incredibly superior solutions are less sexy because they are not tying livestock, and more specifically the consumption of beef, to the solution. Having dedicated many years to researching and communicating the science behind an optimal diet for humans, I understand first hand how our health isinextricably tied to the planets(as detailed inmy upcoming book). Do you or your families and friends have a special watch party planned when it streams onNetflix? It would be great to see what was meant to be there! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. So ifKiss the Groundhad taken a more evidence-based approach and included dietary recommendations what would it have looked like? Celebrity activists, including Ian Somerhalder and Patricia Arquette, drop by to promote a suite of carbon-capture climate change solutions theyre personally involved in, from diversified permaculture to compost toilets. The message gets across, but the film downplays a meaningful call to action. Here are five things I learned from Kiss the Ground. We recently caught up with @mcgrathfamilyfarm. This is actually seen using satellites which monitor the CO2 levels. Look no further than Kiss the Ground, a newly-released Netflix documentary that explores the relationship between climate change and dirt. Something went wrong. We all know that science has its failings. Holistic management is a decision making framework which has been developed over the years to deal with complex situations. Potential mitigation of midwest grass-finished beef production emissions with soil carbon sequestration in the United States of America. Accessibility StatementPrivacy Policy & Terms of Service, 2022 Kiss the Ground If we restore all the degraded land, we can return the earth to paradise, making room for biodiversity and feeding the worlds population (with lowered animal protein consumption). Focussing on this review was a clever move by Kiss the Ground Paul Hawken and the Project Drawdown are incredibly well respected. Tilling loosens the soil, disturbing microorganisms that live within it, drying it out so. When receiving subsidies for crops like corn and beans, farmers know that they will make a profit. Check out this map for farms local to you Regenerative Farm Map Regeneration International. I enjoyed Woody Harrelson as a narrator; he felt genuine. worlds leading climate scientists have to say about diet? For me, its a plant-exclusive diet and for you it might be eating plant-based before dinner often the perfect place for people to start. If you want to hear a bit more explanation of these, click here or scroll down. Ganretts white paper doesnt even mention soil microbiology. Kris: I see the soil as the real star of the movie and have said many times I am honored to be able to speak on behalf of the soil. Since chemical agriculture ramped up in the 70s, we have lost 1/3 of the worlds topsoil. This review revealed some all to common perceptions about holistic management, a decision making framework, which can be applied to grazing as well as other management situations. The good news is that soils can recover fast if they are allowed to and managed correctly. You can reach me at novelhandco@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn. Ray Archuleta, previously a conservation agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the co-founder of the Soil Health Academy, stands at the front talking to the farmers, and to us. If we want to lower our environmental footprint the single most important thing we can do iseat more plants. What do you hope viewers will take away from the movie? This sounds like something else that he would likely regret in the near future. Stardom is a complicated thing, but at least all that money and power are being put to good use. As someone who has farmed using diesel tractors and bare hands, I can tell you that regenerative agriculture isn't a key or secret or the single solution to a greener future. I approached this film with professional interest, not just as a News Fellow with Stone Pier Press, but as someone trained in biology at college, regenerative farming at the Rodale Institute (three of the films agricultural experts work/ed here), and food systems at graduate school.