I believe sustainability comes down to knowing that each choice we make has a “cost.” The true “cost” is a combination of the economic, social and environmental costs set against the offsetting benefits associated with each choice we make. 

The reality of sustainability is that most people only make small changes to their lives. As humans, we are very entrenched in our habits and usually it requires a real awakening for us to make genuine change. This is the beauty of the new show Mission: Sustainable. As the show’s consultants, we have the ability to give each family a true lifestyle makeover.  How does their lifestyle really impact our planet? 

I am so fortunate to be making a living working with the Earth. As co-founder of In Harmony sustainable landscapes, my work every day is based on working with the land, plants, water and wildlife. If my employees and I do our work correctly, the results are both beneficial and beautiful, and they contribute to real sustainability. As earth stewards, we all can do our part to create a world that can sustain all inhabitants, including humans.

For me, the answers are right under our feet. If we properly care for soil, we can produce a world that feeds, clothes, houses and respects everyone. But to do that, we must understand how precious our soil and water are. And we must understand that only healthy soil will support an intricate web of life. If we can understand the complex soil food-web, then we will see why it is our responsibility to care for the land correctly at all costs.

Do you realize that there are upwards of 4,000,000,000 beneficial organisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil? That’s four billion … with a B! Each one of these organisms is doing its part in the intricate soil food web. Remove or damage one or any of these organisms, and you damage Mother Nature’s ability to provide for our planet. Bacteria, fungus, nematodes, protozoa, earthworms, the list goes on and on. 

Some organisms perform like mycorrhizal fungi, which colonize the roots of plants.

The mycelium (a rootlike network of filaments) of many fungi form semiotic relationships with 95 percent of land plants, giving the plants access to water and nutrients from hundreds or even thousands of times more soil mass in exchange for sugars. However, this can only take place in healthy soil.

In fact, did you know that 95 percent of the world’s land plants form a relationship with mycorrhizal fungus? The mycorrizae and roots work in a symbiotic relationship in which each organism benefits. Research estimates that mycorrhizal fungal filaments explore hundreds to thousands of times more soil volume compared to roots alone.

When these symbiotic relationships are allowed to flourish, plants’ roots gain additional water and nutrients from the fungus and the fungus gets sugars from the roots. Research has shown that these exchanges not only improve nutrient and water uptake, root and plant growth, and yield, but that they also reduce transplant shock and drought stress.

Unfortunately many of our common soil practices can degrade the mycorrizae-forming potential of soil. Heavy fertilizer applications, tillage, removal of topsoil, erosion, site preparation, careless home construction, and leaving the soil bare are some of the human activities that can reduce or eliminate beneficial soil fungi. Because of this, all new plantings should be inoculated with mycorrizae after their installation to ensure minimum plant loss and quicker plant establishment—as well as less erosion and runof from your little patch of earth.

Stay tuned for Ladd’s next post on basic soil building practices.

[Mushroom photo courtesy of Flickr user photogirl17: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitkaphotogirl/3006610477/ / CC BY 2.0]