Wednesday, March 4th, 2009...6:44 pm

Dirt the movie is a must see documentary!

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DIRT! THE MOVIE is a must see feature documentary about soil sustainability and the urgent need to protect against the degradation of soil. Produced by Common Ground Media, Los Angeles the film is based on William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book, Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth. DIRT THE MOVIE is directed by Gene Rosow & Bill Benenson and features interviews with leading world experts and scientists in the field of soil preservation and sustainable agriculture. On The Road Productions handled the production of DIRT! THE MOVIE in India.

Watch The Trailer

The world beneath our feet is alive with ongoing cycles of decomposition and recomposition. Every organism plays a part. Earthworms eat their way through the soil, enriching it with their excreta as they go. A dung beetle in Panama perched in a tree springs into action the moment a howler monkey on a higher branch defecates. Joyriding the falling feces to the forest floor, the beetle quickly rolls it into a ball, which he buries in a nearby hole where fungi and bacteria go to work. The dung beetle’s prize decomposes, enriching the surrounding soil by providing nitrogen.

DIRT! THE MOVIE introduces remarkable people and communities around the world who have found ways to repair and reconnect to the skin of the earth. In doing so they are finding answers to problems that challenge our very existence. The movie features several renowned scientists discussing their field of expertise and the subject of soil degradation and means of preservation. Among the scientists featured include Dr. Paul Stamets, a mycologist; Dr. Wes Jackson, a botanist and geneticist, and Dr. Shiva Vandana, physicist and leading expert on soil preservation and traditional agriculture in India.

In India, Dr. Vandana Shiva, is a leading world expert on soil preservation that utilizes traditional Indian farming methods and seed conservation. Dr. Shiva, a physicist who earned her PhD in quantum theory, has written numerous articles and treatises on soil preservation. She is an international expert on biodiversity and polycultural conservation systems. Dr. Shiva established the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology. She has also helped organize a seed bank where farmers save, process, supply and market their own seeds. Dr. Shiva’s seed bank in the farm at Dehradun preserves 300 land races of paddy, 31 land races of wheat, 11 land races of barley, 5 varieties of barnyard millet, 10 varieties of oats, 6 varieties of finger millet, 3 varieties of foxtail millet and 7 varieties of mustard.

The film is releasing shortly so keep an eye out for it. This is an important film that should not be missed. It will change the way you look at dirt, soil, environment and our existence. Find out more information at the Common Ground Website: http://dirtthemovie.org/

by Emmanuel Pappas

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