Common Ground is a recently released documentary which urges viewers to rethink our relationship with soil and approach to agriculture and food production.

Are you familiar with the term “regenerative agriculture”? Essentially, it is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to land management and food production and is the focus of the documentary Common Ground. Unlike industrial agriculture, this approach focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting bio-sequestration, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil.
As Siri Chilukuri explains in her review of the film, regenerative agriculture uses a variety of methods to promote healthy, living soil, which in turn promotes healthy crops that are more pest resistant and require less or no chemical pesticides. This is in sharp contrast to industrial farming which encourages the heavy use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides, causing an array of illnesses and damage ecosystems. Regenerative agriculture also mitigates climate change through carbon dioxide removal, i.e. it draws carbon from the atmosphere and sequesters it.
While Common Ground focuses on food and farming systems, it can also prompt viewers to think more broadly and globally about our relationship with the land and the need to heal it. The idea of land regeneration, for example, is consistent with the push to restore additional degraded lands such as brownfields and oilfields into parks, open space, and other land uses that generate multiple benefits to communities.
To learn more about movie and the merits of the regenerative approach, please read the source article.
FULL STORY: This Earth Day, Common Ground Urges us to Rethink Our Relationship With Soil

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie