An IUCN member, the Isha Foundation initiated the ‘Journey to Save Soil’ in London on March 21. The Save Soil Movement set the organization’s founder Sadhguru (a globally acclaimed spiritual leader) on a 100-day, 30,000 km (18,600 miles) motorcycle voyage through 26 countries to address the soil crisis by raising awareness about soil health, its degradation, and supporting the use of organic matter in agricultural processes.
The global movement will bring people together and encourage the global leaders to form national policies and actions toward enhancing the organic content in cultivable soil to promote soil health. Soil degradation can lead to lower crop yield, soil erosion, and groundwater depletion – so, even the more reason to spread the word.
Image: Twitter @@SadhguruJV
The physical, chemical and biological decline of soil quality can be caused by incessant deforestation and urbanization, industrial pollution, overgrazing, and unsustainable agricultural practices. All these anthropogenic activities have impacted half of the world’s soil, deteriorating its nutrient content. Consequently, the world is facing a food crisis, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, climate change, loss of livelihood, and conflict & migration.
Save Soil Campaign
If you ever caught Sadhguru’s motivational speeches or quotes, you’ll probably be impressed by this wise man. His ‘Save Soil’ campaign has the potential to raise awareness around the world regarding the importance of soil health, which has been steadily declining in the past couple of decades.
According to the Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru;
Food doesn’t come from Uber Eats, it comes from soil. The healthier the soil, the healthier your food, the healthier your body… Start local, involve your neighborhood, start a vegetable garden, get your hands in the soil – not in the dirt as is commonly said, as soil is not dirty – it is rich, it is our foundation of a healthy life and a safe environment.
As there is no planet B or any other alternative to soil, this initiative of preserving the crucial element that sustains all life, has been widely applauded. It urges the world to get its priorities straight and an urgent shift in farming practices.
Image: Twitter @@SadhguruJV
The campaign aims to motivate 3.5 billion people to back policy rerouting to protect, nurture and sustain soils. It aims to stimulate policy changes across 193 countries toward rising and maintaining the organic matter of soil to a minimum of 3-6 percent.
Claire Warmenbol, IUCN Communications and Partnership Manager, said that Sadhguru is hugely influential and it could benefit this campaign for an important environmental cause. She said that it could inspire a mobilizing change.
30,000 km on Motorcycle
Sadhguru has already completed a major chunk of his 100-day, 30,000 km Save Soil journey through countries in Europe and the Middle East, en route to India. The movement is being supported by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The finish line for this campaign is set in New Delhi, and the wise saint is going to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence – the decals on the fuel tank and the big exhaust of that BMW sports bike are proof enough.
According to the spiritual leader, choosing a powerful motorcycle has its benefits. His BMW K1600 GT sports bike leveraged him to move through traffic and interact with people more than he could have done through air travel or via a four-wheeler. But I couldn’t help but notice the huge environmental implications of this choice.
Image: Instagram @consciousplanet
While it comes with its own set of advantages – covering 30,000 kilometers across 26 countries on a fuel-powered motorcycle has its repercussions for the environment too. Apparently, motorcycles, even small ones, are considerably polluting. An average motorcycle is 10 times more polluting per mile than a passenger car, light truck, or SUV.
These two-wheelers emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases, which makes it seem like Sadhguru’s crusade to safeguard one element is polluting the other. Choosing an electric two-wheeler or a gas-powered model could have been a much safer way to cover such a big journey of 30,000 kilometers across the globe while minimizing the environmental impact. Moreover, it would have spread awareness about the benefits of an electric vehicle, further benefiting the degrading environment worldwide. With high hopes for this campaign, only the time will tell its effect on the masses and the future of the soil.
Anyhow, let’s make some changes to our lifestyle and help save the planet with one small step followed by another. You can begin with planting small seeds of hope in form of saplings and taking care of them as they grow to preserve the future.
Remember – WE HAVE ONLY ONE PLANET EARTH!