A Walkathon in Atlanta to Save Soil
On Saturday, June 18th, 2022, the Save Soil Walkathon was organized at Grant Park Gateway in Atlanta by the Isha Foundation. The event was supported by the Atlanta Office of Resilience, Fernbank Museum, and Trees Atlanta.
[Left] Adults and children from diverse backgrounds joined the Save Soil Walkathon in Atlanta—one of the many organized around the country.
“Soil is the only magic material that turns death to life,” says Sadhguru, the founder of Isha Foundation. Sadhguru, along with other top authorities on environmental science, believes that almost every major ecological crisis is, to some degree or form, a consequence or symptom of soil degradation. Hence, almost every environmental crisis can be addressed by sustaining healthy soil. The time for action to prevent any further soil deterioration is now.
The walkathon offered 1K/3K/5K options to bring awareness about the Save Soil movement. Almost 600 people, including 120 kids, from diverse backgrounds joined the event. Live music that included the Save Soil group dance, various activities for children, competitions, soil displays, photo booths, and other entertainment was organized.
Michelle Wiseman, director of recycling and waste diversion for the city of Atlanta; Dr. Lucky Jain, chief academic officer and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University; and Eugene Cooke, internationally- acclaimed urban farmer and founder of “Grow Where You Are” gave a warm-spirited welcome to all and shared their wisdom and passion for soil.
Wiseman insisted that “Everything is connected, each and every one of us is in this together, and we will have to work toward spreading the awareness.” Dr. Jain emphasized that “Soil is extremely important for the nutrition and health of all our children.” He spoke with powerful emotion as a pediatrician, carrying a handful of soil on stage. Cooke spoke of the need to support the local farming community and called upon everyone to act. He said, “All of you children, please ask for a fruit tree as a gift on the next celebratory occasion.”
The Earth Buddies took it upon themselves to write letters to their policymakers requesting support and positive change for soil. On the occasion, Joy Black, musician and violinist, played beautiful melodies.
The Isha Foundation, guided by Sadhguru, is dedicated to raising human consciousness to foster global harmony through individual transformation. One of the Foundation’s goals is to create “A Conscious Planet” by aligning human activity to be supportive of nature and all life on the planet. Save Soil is an initiative in that direction.
[Right] Eugene Cooke, Dr. Lucky Jain, and Michelle Wiseman spoke at the Walkathon.
Sadhguru began the movement three decades ago in 1990 with five thousand volunteers aimed at increasing the green cover in Velliangiri Hills in Tamil Nadu, India. The movement soon snowballed into the largest environmental movement with four billion global citizens, all of whom are working to create a conscious planet and save soil.
As part of the Save Soil movement, government, U.N. agencies, global leaders, organizations, eminent members of the environment and scientific community, and corporate and individual citizens are united behind a common purpose to address the alarming crisis of 52 percent soil degradation and nutritional imbalances caused by it. For our children and future generation, it is critical to stand behind a planet capable of producing nutritious food and sustaining life.
—Sarika Jaswani
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