Have you ever considered how the very building block and foundation of life on earth affects the air we breathe, the food we eat, and how our bodies operate?
Finian Makepeace has made it his life mission to find answers to these questions about this essential substance: soil. A new Driftwood resident, Makepeace is co-founder of the nonprofit Kiss the Ground, a TEDx speaker, and producer of the award-winning film Kiss the Ground on Netflix.
Kiss the Ground has changed the way lawmakers, government officials, and millions of individuals understand how the ground we walk upon impacts our everyday life. “It’s the soil! The soil holds the solution for climate, water, and human health. So many people like me had no idea,” Makepeace shares. “But no one is too important or too smart to learn and contribute to the health of ourselves, our families, and our earth for generations. And the good news is, they can. We can all help this movement in our own way.”
BEGINNINGS
Makepeace grew up in upstate New York, backed up to five acres of woods and spending an exorbitant amount of time in nature. “I sat with it and watched it,” he shares. “More than most, I had way more priming of nature in observing how it operates, connects, composts, and regenerates.”
Activism runs through Makepeace’s veins, and his first career as a musician proved a vehicle for this passion. “I discovered music was a means of pointing toward things I’ve always wanted to share and bring attention to.”
His music career was disrupted by a phone call from New Zealand. His lifelong friend and co-founder of Kiss the Ground, Ryland Engelhart, shared from a conference of scientists how the soil can generate itself and convinced Makepeace to help him facilitate a presentation of this topic in Los Angeles. “It was a four-hour lecture and covered so much, but I had enough understanding of biology to understand and it hit me: There has never been a solution this significant.”
That same night, he and Engelhart made a pact: “If this is true, we have to dedicate our lives to this. We’re communicators; we live in LA—we can get this in the minds of others and thought leaders.”
WHAT IS REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE?
Simply put, regenerative agriculture is agriculture that causes regeneration. Makepeace explains, “Regeneration: The word itself means to bring back to its highest functioning state. Our land is broken; it can’t hold water; it’s dead; it doesn’t function properly. We are helping it get back to its highest functioning state through agriculture that causes regeneration, restoring bare soil and dust that’s not working—back to Eden.”
Soil is similar to our gut. Our bodies host billions of good bacteria in our gut in a symbiotic relationship. Similarly, organisms in the soil are fed liquid carbon sugars that are pumped through the roots of plants and into the soil. The plants build the liquid carbon sugars from carbon dioxide that they pull out of the air. The carbon sugars feed the microbes, and the microbes make minerals available to the plant. Half of our micronutrients are in the soil, so if our soil is lacking, so are the micronutrients in our food.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE
“Legacy farms are getting lost in a debt-inducing cycle due to degenerated earth,” Makepeace states. “They don’t want their children in this, and young people don’t want to carry this on.” Healing our land impacts the future of farming and reduces farmers’ costs.
- Buy locally sourced regenerative or organic food.
There are many options at farmers markets and H-E-B. Look for Force of Nature meats, Land to Market, Regenified, regenerative organic certified, and grass-fed.
“Your meat choice is huge,” says Makepeace. “Spend the extra 2 dollars—it's a difference you’re making for the future of the world.” Buy your eggs locally or find Vital Farms or restorative eggs in your local grocery."
- Grow your own food.
When children watch things grow, the experience teaches them to respect farmers and not be wasteful with food. Makepeace adds, “When a child picks a cucumber, they see food differently; they connect with food, the sun, and dirt.”
- Learn and spread the message.
Watch Kiss the Ground on Netflix. Explore the many resources, videos, and trainings available at KissTheGround.com. “There are hundreds of ways to kiss the ground,” Makepeace concludes. “You can be yourself in this movement and contribute. You’re not late to the party. If you find out now, you’re obligated to share!”
KissTheGround.com | @kisstheground
"If this is true, we have to dedicate our lives to this."