As I have grown throughout my life I have become more grateful to have had parents that exposed the benefits of eating well-rounded meals that included different types of fruits and vegetables. In NYC, we had weekly trips to fresh food markets that I and my brother begrudingly visted on Saturdays. I now happily visit as many farms and farmer's markets as I can giving thanks to the farmers and their teams for bringing their wonderful fresh products to market. In 2020, the newly implemented COVID protocols allowed me to "Work from Home" enabling me to have a little more time to continue my life learning activities. I luckily saw a lecture that spoke to the benefits of having healthy diverse agricultural soils. As an engineer who loves chemistry and biology, I curiously learned as much as I could. Then, I began making phone calls which include a conversation with the Virginia state agronomist, master gardeners and local farmers. In 2021, I began visiting farms, attending virtual conferences for Midwestern Farmers and ultimately got in touch with Jim Hillery, a past Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) agent. Jim introduced me to the monthy Loudoun soil & water conservation district meetings and other soil and water events in and around Loudoun county. Understanding the benefits reducing rooftop runoff, maintaining low levels of herbicides and pesticides, making sure your dog's poop is properly placed in sealed biodegradable bags helps to protect our watershed. Judiciously diverting food waste away from county landfills back to farms is one way to maintain our prime Loudoun county soils and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.