European voices on soil health - the LOESS podcast

In this episode, we travel to Germany to explore soil health education. Together with a university professor and a student, we discuss why soil health matters, how education can inspire care for our soils, and what young people need to connect with the ground beneath their feet.

In this episode we visit Italy, where the natural environment has been shaped throughout the whole peninsula since Roman times. The Italian landscape is mostly anthropogenic and soils are not generally in good health. Luckily, realizing that we live in the Anthropocene (that is human activity is now the dominant influence on climate and the environment) brings the awareness of the positive impact...

In this episode, Emma McKenna, Science Shop Coordinator at Queen’s University Belfast, invites us into a conversation about the importance of soil health education. Emma's interviews with student, Aoibheann Quinn, university lecturer, Karen Kerr, and researcher, Calum McGeown, touch on themes of outdoor learning for nature connection, education for policy change and the need for more interdiscipli...

In this episode, we are experiencing the beautiful environment in Greece where we have remarkable variety: volcanic soils in the islands, deep alluvial plains in Thessaly, thin and rocky soils in the mountains. Each has its own character, its own community of organisms. We interview a student and a biology teacher from Pierce College, Athens about their journey in this environment.

In this episode, we travel to Lithuania to explore our deep connection to the ground beneath our feet. We begin with the voices of Applied Ecology and Biology students, who reflect on soil as a living ecosystem—the "beginning of life" that cleans our water and sustains our food. They share a vision for an "ecocentric" future where young people reconnect with the earth through community gardens and...

In this podcast episode, Réka Matolay, Head of Corvinus Science Shop at Corvinus University of Budapest speaks with Tünde Udvarnoki, social entrepreneur and founder of ComPot, and student collaborator Máté Kovács, about how soil health connects communities, education, and everyday life. Through personal stories, reflections on sustainable and practical examples such as indoor composting, regenerat...

The significance of soil education in land management in Poland.

In this episode, we welcome two women working in soil health education. Carina, a teacher with years of experience, and Johanna, a lecturer at University of Innsbruck, take us back to their childhood memories, their first connections with soil, and explain the importance of soil health education.

In this episode, we travel to The Netherlands, a country where soil health is under pressure from agriculture and industry. Professor Emeritus Johan Bouma shares his perspectives on soil education, emphasizing the value of an interdisciplinary outlook and the need for engaged teaching and learning. We also hear from students Ilse Reitsma and Lena Gildemeister, who are currently pursuing their MSc...

In this episode, we visit Ireland, a country that has a focus on agriculture and that also has important peatland habitats. Environmental educator Craig Douglas shares how people can take steps to connect with soil and sustainability and the importance of joining a local community to do this. We also hear from chemistry students Eva Garry and Áine Winters who emphasise the need for soil education...

In this episode from Türkiye, we explore how soil connects education, sustainability, agriculture, and everyday life through the voices of educators, students, and nature advocates. From ecological learning and traditional knowledge to sustainable farming and youth engagement, the episode highlights inspiring local experiences from the Mediterranean region of Türkiye. Through conversations with re...

In this episode, we travel to Sweden, a country shaped by vast forests and a deep connection to nature. Multidisciplinary artist Jasmine Cederqvist shares how creative, sensory approaches can help children and young people connect with soil and sustainability. We also hear from environmental engineering student Johan Sparf, who reflects on his journey into soil science and the need for stronger so...

In our first episode, we visit Spain, a country that has faced nearly 400,000 hectares of wildfires this summer. Forest engineer Miguel Ángel Sobrino, interviewed by students from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, shares key measures to protect forests and soils as fires become a recurring challenge. We also hear from the Environmental Biology students at the same university, who offer insig...