I really realize this is not perfectly “microBEnet” related but I think this is quite important and there are many “microbiome” components to this. Thus I think this is worth posting here.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is issuing a national Call to Action and forming an interagency group to protect America’s soil.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/08/01/call-action-save-one-americas-most-important-natural-resources
OSTP is calling for comments, ideas and feedback relating to multiple areas including
- Monitoring Soil and Obtaining High-Quality Data
- Informing Targeted Decision-Making and Engaging the Public
- Applying Scalable Solutions on the Ground
Although many may consider soil to be a natural entity, it is heavily impacted by humans and the human built environment and also serves as an important source for microbes in the built environment. Thus I believe those thinking about microbiology of the built environment could potentially be important voices in the discussion about the future of soil.