ALEXANDRIA, VA — Without soil, life as we know it could not exist. Sustaining our Soils and Society, the new release in the American Geological Institute's (AGI) Environmental Awareness series, presents a refreshing nontechnical look at soils. The colorful 64-page book is filled with striking photos and illustrations that demonstrate the importance of our soil resources and how they are connected to our daily lives and the future of society. Each copy of the book contains a poster that will be of special interest to teachers and youth leaders. The 18" x 24" poster relates soils to the environments in which they occur; the reverse side of the poster contains a soil investigation activity for middle- and high-school students.
 
The authors, Thomas E. Loynachan, Kirk W. Brown, Terence H. Cooper, and Murray H. Milford, are practicing soil scientists and members of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). Their expertise covers the range of environmental concerns, issues, and interactions that relate to soils. "Our objective in writing about soils," they write in the Preface, "is to relate them to environmental concerns that affect us all. Soil is a fragile, finite resource. It plays unique roles in maintaining air quality, storing water and nutrients for plants, and filtering contaminants from surface waters. Using soil as a medium for disposing of liquid and solid wastes raises environmental questions as does any soil-based construction project." In addition to highlighting these important topics, the authors focus on soil as society's primary source of food and fiber.
 
AGI produced Sustaining our Soils and Society in cooperation with SSSA and the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Sustaining Our Soils and Society, additional copies of the soils poster, and a soils book mark are available from AGI and SSSA. The list price for Sustaining Our Soils and Society is $15.95. Members of AGI member societies, teachers, and youth leaders may purchase the book for $9.95 — a discount of nearly 40 percent — plus shipping and handling. Call the AGI Publications Center at (301) 953-1744. For information on bulk discounts on the soils book, poster, and book mark, contact Robert Tiffey at AGI headquarters by e-mail, rlt@agiweb.org, or by phone, (703) 379-2480.
 
Sustaining Our Soils and Society was prepared under the sponsorship of AGI's Environmental Geoscience Advisory Committee with support from the AGI Foundation. The objective of the Environmental Awareness series is to promote better understanding of the role of the Earth sciences in all aspects of environmental concerns and issues. As the authors of the Soils book note, "We, as citizens and policy makers, cannot afford to ignore the geoscience context, because Earth processes and systems affect all aspects of the environment."
 
Since its appointment in 1993, AGI's Environmental Geoscience Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Dr. Philip E. LaMoreaux and Dr. Stephen H. Stow, has assisted the Institute by identifying projects and activities that will help AGI achieve the following goals:
 

• Increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues and the controls of Earth systems on the environment;
• Communicate societal needs for better management of Earth resources, protection from natural hazards, and assessment of risks associated with human impacts on the environment;
• Promote appropriate science in public policy through improved communication within and beyond the geoscience community related to environmental policy issues and proposed legislation;
• Increase dissemination of information related to environmental programs, projects, research, and professional activities in the geoscience community.

For additional information on AGI's environmental geoscience program, contact Travis L. Hudson, AGI Director of Environmental Affairs, by e-mail, ageology@olypen.com, or by phone, (360) 681-5107.

The American Geological Institute is a not-for-profit federation of 34 professional organizations in the Earth Sciences representing more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth and environmental scientists.