Video: 'The Bowl'

I’m a filmmaker who recently moved to New Orleans, a city built on coastal wetlands. Here, the impacts of poor soil drainage are directly felt after every rainfall. Our streets constantly flood and the flooding is only made worse by impervious surfaces and poor upkeep of city infrastructure. I wanted to use the struggles we face in New Orleans to explore the question: why is the relationship between soil and water important? My goal was to explain the importance of this relationship to those who may never have realized or considered the intricate processes going on right under their feet. I also wanted to make a video that was creative and relatable, so that you didn’t necessarily have to be into soil science to have fun learning about this topic. I’m most thankful to the National Resources Defense Council and the Lexicon of Sustainability for choosing my video, and for coming up with an inventive platform to inform others about the importance of healthy soils. Happy International Year of Soils!

The Natural Resources Defense Council and Lexicon of Sustainability hosted an essay and video contest for the International Year of Soils. The contest is called 'Voices of the Soil'. Weenta Girmay was the winner of the 'Best Video on Soil and Communities' category.

The views expressed here belong to the speaker and do not  necessarily represent FAO’s views, positions, strategies or opinions.

Submitted by Weenta Girmay