Kiss The Soil & Save The Soil Video 

Building healthy soil has the miraculous ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Two years ago Kiss the Ground was founded to share this message with the world. And it's not just carbon storage; the ways that healthy soil stands to positively impact lives of billions worldwide are tangible and immediate. Clean water. Healthy food. Drought resistance. Restored habitats.
This week they are sharing this important message with the world through The Soil Story video that they created.  And they encouraging as many people as possible to sign the petition and stand with California Governor Brown in allocating funds to farmers building healthy soil.  

This is a huge moment - California, one of the biggest agriculture economies in the world, could be the first US state to fund healthy soil as a solution for climate change. 

Please take five minutes to watch their video, sign their petition, and share their message.

Thank you for being part of the regenerative future that we can create together.

October 1, 2015 in Vallejo California at the Vallejo Veterans Memorial Building

November 3, 2015 in Petaluma California at the Veterans Memorial Hall

December 1, 2015 in Chico California at the Holiday Inn Hotel and 

December 3, 2015 in Sacramento California at the Scottish Rite Center

Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien will be discussing "Soil: Not Just A Dirty Word But An Overlooked IPM Tool" at the above Pesticide Applicators Professional Association's seminars.

You may consider yourself a pest control or horticultural professional, or even a back yard gardener. If you do your job correctly you are a landscape and pest management supervisor and your workforce is the Soil Food Web. Successfully manage these soil artisans and they create the glorious pest resistant landscape you desire with minimal input on your part. In this presentation you will learn the invaluable contributions these essential creatures make to the landscape and pest management process. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mycorrhizae and others improve plant fertility, water efficiency while helping manage pests. They sequester nutrients and improve soil structure, which protects ground and surface waters from contamination. A healthy Soil Food Web results in healthy, pest resistant plants minimizing or even eliminating the need for pesticides. Explore methods to maximize the benefits from the Soil Food Web as we dig into the latest tools and techniques of environmentally sound soil management.

Join Sacramento's Organic Advocate Steven Zien for a journey into this dirty world. For more information (to be posted soon) go to the PAPA seminar website.

  

November 13, 2015: Soil Is Not Just a Dirty Word: Exploring the Mysteries of Managing Soil Biology.

Soil contains an incredible diversity of organisms known as the Soil Food Web. Unearth how soil bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mycorrhizae and others improve plant fertility, manage pests, sequester nutrients, improve soil structure, reduce the need for pesticides and protect local waterways from contamination. We will dig into the latest tools and techniques of environmentally sound soil management maximizing the benefits from these soil artisans. Discover how you proper management of the soil can create beautiful, pest resistant landscapes and actually help improve the water quality of Chesapeake Bay.

This presentation by Steven Zien will be part of the Turning A New Leaf Conference sponsored by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. It will take place at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Towson, MD. For more information go the the Turning A New Leaf Conference webpage.

February 17, 2015 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm - PST: "Soil Not Just a Dirty Word - Exploring the Mysteries of Managing Soil Biology" webinar presented by Steven Zien

Soil contains an incredible diversity of organisms that make up the Soil Food Web. You may consider yourself a landscaper. In reality you are a landscape supervisor and your workforce is the Soil Food Web. Successfully manage these soil artisans and they create the glorious landscape you desire with minimal input on your part. In this webinar you will learn the invaluable contributions these essential creatures make to the landscape process. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mycorrhizae and others improve plant fertility while helping manage pests. They sequester nutrients and improve soil structure, which protects ground and surface waters from contamination. A healthy Soil Food Web results in healthy, pest resistant plants minimizing or even eliminating the need for pesticides. Explore methods to maximize the benefits from the Soil Food Web as we dig into the latest tools and techniques of environmentally sound soil management.

Steve Zien founded Living Resources Company (LRC) in 1974 as an organic farm that also rented 1,000 community gardens in Southeastern Wisconsin. Moving to California in 1977, Steve transformed LRC into a horticultural operation providing organic landscape and garden services to businesses, governmental agencies, and the general public. These services include soil analysis, custom organic fertilization formulation and application, organic pest management, consultations, and educational instruction. With Steve’s commitment to education and outreach, he quickly became known as Sacramento’s Organic Advocate while writing an organic garden column in the local paper, teaching courses in organic horticulture at American River College, the University of California Davis, serving as the IPM Specialist at the California State Fair, managing an organic retail nursery and regular appearances on radio talk shows. Steve has worked with and served as a technical advisor for numerous organizations including the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns, Pesticide Free-Sacramento, California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s School IPM Program, Our Water Our World, EcoLandscape California and others. After receiving his Soil Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin, Steve became a Wisconsin Certified Soil Tester.  He currently is a California Licensed Pesticide Applicator utilizing only organic practices, a Qualified EcoLandscaper, and a California Certified Nursery Professional. 
This webinar is brought to you by EcoLandscape California as part of a series of webinars "A Focus on Sustainability: Season 2." Tickets for the webinar must be purchased in advance at the EcoLandcape California webinar webpage. The ticket price for the webinar is $10.00 for the general public buy it is free to members of EcoLandscape California. Join EcoLandscape California today for your free ticket.

March 7, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at Green Acres Nursery Folsom location, 205 Serpa Way, Folsom, CA 95630 (916.358.9099).

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership.

April 4, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at Talini's Nursery, 5601 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA  95819 (916.451.8150).

 

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership

 April 11, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at the Green Acres Sacramento location, 8501 Jackson Rd., Sacramento, CA 95826 (916.381.1153).

 

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership. 

April 25, 2015 10:00 am to 11:00 am - PST: "Boot Camp for Managing Pests and Weeds in Your Garden"

Join up for an intensive, hit the ground running , hands on hour with Our Water Our World pest expert Steve Zien.

Take Action without polluting and find out what tools you will need in your tool belt to keep the pests under wraps.

You will get

A list of products that give results

A list of what tools work best for what pest

Free samples of products that don’t pollute

Confidence to take charge against pests

This boot camp will be held at Home Depot Elk Grove, 9150 W. Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95758 (916.478.2388)

This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership.

December 5, 2014 is World Soil Day:

World Soil Day is a campaign to connect people with soil and raise awareness on their critical importance in our lives. From today through December 12th you can stream the video "Symphony of the Soil" for free! Check our their website and get all the dirt on World Soil Day.

January 22, 2015 from 10:30 am to Noon:

Organic horticulturist Steven Zien from Living Resources Company will be a speaker at the "Urban Integrated Pest Management from an Agroecologial Perspective" workshop at the EcoFarm Conference in Pacific Grove California along with Martin Guerena the integrated pest management coordinator for the City of Davis. Learn about the agroecological concepts that are used in urban settings to manage pests in schools, parks, landscapes, and other public areas. Presentations will highlight programs and techniques used by local governments and landscape professionals to reduce exposure to pollution of toxic chemicals while maintaining functional, safety and esthetic standards. Martin, will discuss how to effect change while satisfying the divergent interests of infrastructure managers, city workers, and citizen activists. Steve will cover some basic integrated pest management practices of an organic landscape business, how EcoLandscape California's is educating and advocating for ecologically responsible landscapes, and how the Our Water Our World program working with retail nursery and hardware stores to promote the sale and use of more environmentally friendly products and practices.

December 7, 2014 from 8:30 am to Noon:

Organic horticulturist Steven Zien from Living Resources Company will be a guest on Farmer Fred's garden radio talk shows from 8:30 am to 10 am on 1530 KFBK and from 10 am to noon on 650 KSTE discussing December in the organic garden. Listen and call in to get your questions answered.