Why does soil health matter?

“A nation that destroys its soil destroys Itself” - FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) 

 

Why Choose CORE Foundations?

CORE Foundations offer a permeable, environmentally responsible alternative to concrete and asphalt. With over 75% of land globally now degraded, experts warn we could run out of usable topsoil within 40 to 60 years.

By allowing water to pass through and reducing soil compaction, CORE Foundations help preserve and protect topsoil, while still providing the stability and durability of traditional paving methods, without the environmental cost.

Real action is needed to restore and safeguard the planet’s remaining topsoil, and CORE Foundations are part of that solution.

Why Is Soil So Important?

Soil is the foundation of all life on land. It’s responsible for 95% of the world’s food production and supports biodiversity across every terrestrial ecosystem. Healthy soil filters our drinking water, stores more carbon than the atmosphere and biosphere combined, and is the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet.

Despite this, industrial agriculture has caused many soils to lose up to 70% of their original carbon stock. Protecting and restoring soil health is one of the most scalable, affordable, and impactful ways to address climate change, support regenerative agriculture, and preserve life on Earth.

Benefits of Healthy Soil

• Reduces flooding, flood damage, and related costs

• Helps prevent wildfires by improving ground moisture

• Increases drought resilience and soil water retention

• Raises water tables and replenishes groundwater aquifers

• Provides cleaner water for people and ecosystems, reducing the need for irrigation, water treatment, and bottled water

• Prevents toxic algae blooms and filters pollution

• Improves farm profitability by reducing fertilizer and irrigation inputs

• Reduces sediment buildup in reservoirs and lowers dredging costs

• Enhances air quality and reduces respiratory illnesses like asthma and COPD

• Increases soil fertility and the nutrient density of locally grown food

• Strengthens the health of crops, livestock, and people

• Restores habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife

• Revitalizes rural communities through sustainable agriculture

• Sequesters carbon and supports long-term climate resilience 
  

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Healthy Soil: Nature’s Water Sponge

Healthy soil plays a vital role in water infiltration, retention, and storage — earning it the name “the soil sponge.”

“It’s not about how much rain falls, it’s how much water is absorbed and retained in the soil.” — Gabe Brown, Farmer

According to the NRCS, a 1% increase in soil organic matter enables the land to hold an additional 25,000 gallons of water per acre, per year.

“Farmers who have increased their soil organic matter from 1% to 5% can hold 100,000 gallons more of water PER ACRE.” — Finian Makepeace, Co-Founder, Kiss the Ground

Regenerative farmers are achieving zero runoff, meaning their soil can absorb 27,000 gallons of water per acre during just a 1-inch rain event.

Soil organic matter holds up to 20 times its weight in water, significantly improving climate resilience, drought resistance, and stormwater absorption.

Many small water cycles are broken due to soil degradation. Rebuilding soil health and keeping the ground covered with a diverse mix of plants helps restore these cycles and supports groundwater recharge. This leads to the return of clean freshwater sources like springs and aquifers.

Why Soil Biology Matters

Without a thriving soil ecosystem, plants and the food they produce cannot access the essential minerals and nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy.

“Plants don’t digest the soil, microbes do.” — Dan Kittredge, Bionutrient Food Association

Healthy soil biology is the key to growing nutrient dense food. When the soil is alive with microbial life, plants can access the full range of minerals they need.

“One carrot grown in healthy soil can have as many polyphenols (micronutrients high in antioxidants) as 200 conventional carrots.” — Dan Kittredge, Bionutrient Food Association

This results in stronger, more resilient plants that naturally resist pests, and food that delivers more minerals and nutrients to us.

“Our food is a shadow of what it once was.” — Graeme Sait, Soil Expert, New Zealand

Healthy living soil also reduces the need for harmful synthetic chemicals. That means fewer pesticide residues on our food and less contamination of surrounding ecosystems.

Industrial chemical agriculture has a significant impact on air and water quality. In California’s San Joaquin Valley, one of the most agriculture focused regions in the United States, air quality is the worst in the country.

Over 550,000 residents in the Valley have asthma, including 105,000 children. Counties in this region have the highest childhood asthma rates in the nation.

“Food is the nexus of most of our world’s health, economic, environmental, climate, social and even political crises”

 

Healthy Soil is Cool

“When soil is left bare, water evaporates, carbon oxidizes, and microorganisms die.” — Judith Schwartz

Healthy, covered soil plays a key role in regulating temperature and supporting climate resilience.

The urban heat island effect refers to elevated temperatures in cities compared to surrounding rural areas. This happens because pavement, concrete, and other impermeable surfaces absorb and retain heat.

As urban development spreads, natural soil is often stripped away or sealed off. This leads to soil degradation, reduced water absorption, and an increase in localized heat.

By protecting and restoring living soil in urban environments, we can help cool cities, improve air quality, and reduce the impacts of extreme heat.

Soil Temperature Matters

When soil is at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly all moisture goes toward supporting plant growth. As soil temperature rises to 100 degrees, only 15 percent of that moisture remains available. Once soil reaches 130 degrees, all moisture is lost. At 140 degrees, vital soil microorganisms begin to die off.

Excess heat is not just a problem for soil. It impacts our cities too.

The urban heat island effect causes cities to be significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas. This is mostly due to impermeable surfaces like concrete and asphalt, which trap heat and block water from soaking into the ground.

A few ways to help reduce the heat island effect:

1. Use permeable foundations — like the ones we make. Let the ground breathe and absorb water.

2. Install green roofs — they look amazing and reduce rooftop temperatures.

3. Protect and build healthy soil — living soil helps cool the surface and retain moisture.

Degenerative Soil:

 

Three Reasons Bare Ground Contributes to Drought

1. Increased radiant heat
   Without plant cover to absorb and use sunlight, bare soil reflects more heat back into the atmosphere. This raises surface temperatures and accelerates drying.

2. More runoff and surface evaporation
   With no roots or ground cover to slow it down, rainwater runs off quickly instead of soaking in. This means less water is stored in the soil and less is available to recharge springs, streams, and aquifers year round.

3. Faster evaporation of soil moisture
   Exposed soil loses water quickly, leaving less moisture available for plant roots. This limits how long plants can photosynthesize, reducing growth and resilience.

 

 Degenerative Water Cycles have serious consequences

Sustainable Soil

Definition: The ability to use something without depleting it or causing destruction.

In the context of soil health, sustainability only works when it begins from a regenerative place. If the soil is already depleted and the goal is only to sustain it, then you are simply maintaining a system that is not functioning well.

Real sustainability starts with regeneration. That means rebuilding organic matter, restoring microbial life, and improving the soil’s ability to support plants, hold water, and contribute to climate balance.

 

Our food production is at risk

In the USA alone, they are losing 4 tons of topsoil per acre PER year to water and wind erosion. Source: USDA

An article on the USDA-NRCS website estimates that the total annual cost of erosion from agriculture in the United States is about $44 billion per year. 

 Richard Cruse, Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State and Director of the Iowa Water Center, has calculated that for every pound of conventional corn that is harvested in Iowa, we lose more than a pound of topsoil. For every pound of conventional soy that is harvested, we lose more than 2 pounds of topsoil

• Eroded soil ends up in rivers and oceans, clogging up dams and public waterworks and endangering nuclear power plant facilities. The dredging of silt can cost tens of millions of dollars for a single reservoir. It also ends up in the air — a major cause of our rapidly increasing incidence of respiratory illnesses.

 

Conclusion: We Cannot Grow a Healthy Future Without Healthy Soil

Soil is not just dirt beneath our feet. It is the foundation of our food, our water, our climate, and our collective health. Every time soil is eroded, sealed off, or stripped of life, we move further from a thriving future.

But the solutions are already in motion. Regenerating soil health is not only possible, it is happening right now in communities around the world. By choosing systems that restore instead of deplete, that absorb water instead of shedding it, and that support life at every level, we can protect what remains and rebuild what has been lost.

At CORE, we believe that every yard, garden, pathway, and public space can be part of the solution. Our permeable foundation systems are designed to support living soil, reduce runoff, and help landscapes thrive - all while providing long lasting strength and stability.

The path forward begins with the ground beneath us. Let’s choose to build it wisely.