Dirt! The Movie

Here are a few questions to help you with your reflection:

Several people in the film indicate that working in dirt is calming or satisfying. In your experience, is this true? If so, why?

What is your reaction to hearing about the number of farmer suicides in rural India over the past decade? (The film reports there were 200,000.) If such a thing occurred in this country, what do you think would happen?

Paul Stamets – Mycologist/ Author

In the film, mycologist Paul Stamets characterizes the human species as a virus because of the harmful effects our activities have had on the land. Do you accept his analogy? Why or why not?

How can humans “listen to nature” and bring their needs and activities into alignment with those of nature? Are there ways you can be more attentive to the natural world in your daily life? How?

Keeping in mind the hummingbird story told in the film, do you think doing the best you can is enough to preserve the health of the planet, even if millions of people do their best? What responsibility do governments have to help maintain a healthy planet for future generations?

Wangari Maathai-Green Movement 

What feelings are you left with after seeing this film? Do you feel motivated or empowered to make changes, either personally or as part of a group effort, to keep Earth’s soil healthy? What part(s) of the film especially resonated with you? What did you learn from the movie? How do you feel about dirt(soil) after watching this film? Do you feel that Dirt is really important as the film states?  

(Questions based on the online Discussion Document for the film)  The Link: http://dirt.3cdn.net/42325b9d5b01e4fa28_n8m6yhdo1.pdf

If you are interested in this amazing movie, here is a little taste!  

After you finish your reflection about the video, visit the website Doctor Dirt to find out some more interesting Facts about Soil.  http://www.doctordirt.com/soilfact/

Visit the Microbe Zoo website to see the creatures that live in all the extreme places on Earth and what they do.  CHOOSE ONE of the areas in Dirtland and explore what the issues are and what the microbes help to do, and how they live there!  Here is the link:  http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zdmain.html