The American documentary film, Dirt! The Movie was shown at my campus today in honor of [Mother] Earth Day 2012. It was enjoyable to watch. And as the title suggests, the film is about the outer layer of the earth’s crust (soil); specifically, the environmental importance of soil and its purpose to our ecosystem and all organisms abiding within it.
The focus of the film is to educate the audience on the ecological impact mankind has on soil, the sheer importance of taking care of this natural resource, and finally the “green” initiatives taking place in order to protect the environment from further erosion. During the film, I learned how poor farming practices rendered once fertile soil barren and unable to produce vegetation – a historic phenomenon witnessed in the American and Canadian prairie lands during the 1930’s, infamously known as the “Dust Bowl” or “Dirty Thirties”.
Environmentally, the 20th century was a tough time as big, corporate industrial farmers monopolized the farming industry. Many private farmers were economically bullied out of their land and left heartbroken and penniless. Industrial farming led to a reliance on fertilizers which had long-term effects on soil. Deforestation and global warming has made it difficult to cultivate food. As a result, famine has stricken many countries and forest dwelling animals are forced out of their natural habitats. Overall, the film serves as a sobering reminder to us all. We should take special care with the environment and not take any aspect thereof for granted – no matter how ordinary – by simply doing “the best we can” to preserve it -- as the courageous hummingbird did in Nobel Peace prize winner, Wangri Maathi’s proverb.
