The United Nations declared 2015 the International Year of Soils (#IYS2015). Now, the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is leading an effort get soil its very own Google Doodle.

“Soils sustain life,” says David Lindbo, a North Carolina State soil science professor and the leader of SSSA’s IYS task force. “It is a precious natural resource, and IYS is doing a good job of getting more public attention for soils. We think a Google Doodle on Dec. 5, World Soil Day, would help us get the message out even more.”

Over 2 billion people use Google each day. Google Doodles are animations of the Google logo that display at the start of a Google search. Users can click on the animation to learn more about the day’s theme.

All soil lovers (and if you like food and quality of life, that’s you) can write to [email protected]. Ask them to create a Google Doodle for World Soil Day, Dec. 5. Personalize why you think soil deserves it’s very own special doodle and email google by July 15.

According to Patrick Drohan, a soil science professor at Penn State, his lab’s Top Ten reasons why soils deserve a Google Doodle are:

1. Soil is forgiving….soil is a dynamic resource that can be restored and used again in the lifetime of a human.
2. Unless you live in a houseboat, your house is likely built on soil (even a houseboat is built from wood that came from a tree growing on soil).
3. Care for a beer? Not gonna happen without those plants that just happen to grow in soil.
4. Worried about global warming? Then be happy that soil sequesters about 2x the amount of carbon found in all vegetation and the atmosphere combined!
5. Cotton doesn’t just come from the mall….You get a lot of your clothes from crops that grow on soil.
6. Ever been sick? You probably have taken an antibiotic that was derived from organisms in the soil.
7. Ever drink water from a well or stream? You could likely die of contaminated water if there was not soil to filter water for drinking.
8. Enjoy eating? You would likely starve to death if you could not eat plants that grow in soil.
9. Like breathing? You probably would not be breathing if there was not soil for plants to grow in that produce the oxygen keeping you alive.
10. Imagine a world where nothing that died decomposed…bet you REALLY like soil now!

As part of their celebration of IYS, SSSA developed a series of twelve, two minute educational videos. They can be viewed at www.soils.org/iys/monthly-videos. Educational materials can be viewed at www.soils.org/iys.

Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA Soils. SSSA also has a blog, Soils Matter, at http://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/.

Additional soils information is on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org and for students through 12th grade, www.soils4kids.org.