Continuing the City of Issaquah’s series of free film nights focused on sustainability, the documentary “Symphony of the Soil” will be shown Wednesday, April 17, 2013, from 6-9 p.m. at Issaquah High School, 700 Second Ave. S.E.
The night will start with the screening of two student sustainability short film contest winners’ films and a presentation of awards. Then, there will be the “Symphony of the Soil” screening, followed by a talk presented local soil expert Dave Montgomery.
For participants, snacks and prizes will be offered.
Drawing from ancient knowledge and cutting-edge science, “Symphony of the Soil” is an artistic exploration of the miraculous substance soil.
By understanding the elaborate relationships and mutuality between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource.
The film will also examine our human relationship with soil, the use and misuse of soil in agriculture, deforestation and development, and the latest scientific research on soil’s key role in ameliorating the most challenging environmental issues of our time.
Montgomery is the author of “The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood” (2012), “Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations” (2007) and “King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon” (2003).
A MacArthur Fellow and a two-time winner of the Washington State Book Award, Montgomery is a professor of geomorphology in the Department of Earth & Space Sciences at the University of Washington. His research interests involve the effects of geological processes on ecological systems and human societies, and interactions among climate, tectonics and erosion in shaping topography on Earth and Mars.