Save Soil Walkathon — Raise Awareness April 25

Madison is set to host a Save Soil Walkathon on Saturday, April 25, with a public walk at James Madison Park focused on soil protection. (cityofmadison.com) The City of Madison parks calendar lists the event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at James Madison Park, 614 East Gorham Street. A District 20 council update published April 17 also flagged the walkathon as part of the city’s week-of-April-20 events. (cityofmadison.com 1) (cityofmadison.com 2) The Madison event page says the walk is meant to raise awareness about “protecting and restoring soil,” and directs participants to the Save Soil campaign website for more information. Event listings tied to the walk say it is part of a North America effort spanning more than 30 cities. (cityofmadison.com) (stayhappening.com) Soil is the thin living layer that grows crops, filters water and stores carbon. The Food and Agriculture Organization says 95 percent of the food people consume depends on soil. (fao.org 1) (fao.org 2) International agencies have warned for years that this resource is wearing down. The Food and Agriculture Organization says 90 percent of soils could be degraded by 2050 on the current path, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification says up to 40 percent of the planet’s land is already degraded. (fao.org) (unccd.int) The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification says land degradation cuts soil fertility and ecosystem health, which in turn affects food production, biodiversity and drought resilience. The Food and Agriculture Organization defines soil degradation as damage that reduces soil’s ability to provide its normal benefits. (unccd.int) (fao.org) The Save Soil campaign itself gained international visibility in 2022, when campaign founder Sadhguru rode roughly 30,000 kilometers across 25 countries and met with United Nations officials in Bonn. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification described that trip as a push to make soil regeneration a policy priority. (unccd.int) In Madison, the walkathon lands on the same Saturday as the city’s Earth Day Challenge park cleanups and one day before the Bird & Nature Festival on April 26. The city’s April event listings place the soil walk inside a broader week of Earth Day and nature programming. (cityofmadison.com) (cityofmadison.com) For Madison residents, the next step is simple: show up at James Madison Park on April 25 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and join a public walk built around the ground underfoot. (cityofmadison.com)