From Waste to Resource Conference – Beneath Our Feet: Exploring the Value of Soil

Guest Speaker: John Quinton

John Quinton is Professor of Soil Science at Lancaster University. His research focuses on understanding soil processes and their interactions with the wider ecosystem, the sustainable management of soils and solutions to diffuse pollution.

He has published more than 120 journal papers, including several recognised as highly cited. He was one of five Editors-in-Chief of the EGU journal SOIL. As a co-leader of the Soils in Construction taskforce, he led the NERC-funded Signals in the Soil project focusing on soil health sensing, and contributed to projects on soil carbon, controlling soil degradation, and soil pollution. He is an internationally recognised scientist and has worked around the world.

Soil is more than just dirt – it is the basis for life on earth.

So, what is soil and what distinguishes topsoil from subsoil?

Should we care what happens to soils when we develop infrastructure and housing and where might ceramics fit in?

This talk will explore this hidden world beneath our feet, how soil contributes to all our lives and what we might do to protect this most valuable resource.

Next in the conference schedule: Networks of Re-use Panel, Sara Howard, Freya Bruce, Victor Pedrosa, Chaired by Sarah King

Start from the beginning: Welcome, Clare Wood

Support

From Waste to Resource: Circular Economies for Construction Spoil Clay is part of a 19-month research initiative led by British Ceramics Biennial and undertaken by BCB Clay Researcher Claire Baily. The research was delivered in partnership with Louise Trodden (HS2 Arts & Culture Team).

Thank you to all the speakers, contributors, volunteers and attendees who generously supported and shared their knowledge, expertise and insights. The conference was recorded and edited by Copperbeach.