Toes in the Sand

Have you found yourself at work in the middle of winter (or really, any

season), wishing you could be surrounded by sand? To your left, to your right, wouldn’t it be nice if it was all sand? Do you wish, when you’re walking your dog that you actually had your toes in the sand? Holding your phone, typing on your laptop- do you wish it could be sand running through your fingertips?

You’re in luck- because all of these things you’re imagining- they’re reality! The concrete that forms the building around you, the asphalt we walk and drive on, and the computer chips that run your screens and devices- there’s one big (or tiny) thing that helps to create them all. You guessed it….. Sand!

Vince Beiser, author of The World in a Grain says, “sand is actually the most important solid substance on Earth. It’s the literal foundation of modern civilization”. This, right here, is why we’re celebrating sand as one of Earth’s treasures!

Sand, specifically sand that has been eroded by water, serves as one of the most common aggregates to mix with water and cement to make concrete. Concrete builds foundations, buildings, and so many things around you.

Asphalt uses a similar combination of ingredients. Asphalt is made by a mixture of aggregates and a binder to keep it all together. A common aggregate used? Sand.

Even glass comes from sand! It is melted at incredibly high temperatures to become a liquid. Then, it is cooled at very specific rates, completely transforming it into glass. (You may have even seen this before in the popular movie Sweet Home Alabama!)

Here’s the really fascinating one- computer chips! Specific sand called silica sand is made of silicon dioxide. By filtering and altering through multiple processes, this sand gets broken down to form pure electronic-grade silicon. Further processes cut this silicon down into what we see as small, powerful, computer chips.

To continue to protect and cherish this great treasure of the Earth, we have to commit to staying informed and knowledgeable about where our resources are coming from. Sand, just like air and water is one of our most used natural resources. So, just like we pause to reconsider our oil burning practices and take time to question deforestation- we should also commit to protecting and defending another important treasure- sand.

Protecting our Resource

We know the value of sand, and all that it helps us to enjoy in this world. But what about protecting this treasure? Sand is pretty much endless, right? Yes and no. While we’re not concerned about
completely running out of sand altogether- what is concerning is the processes by which sand is being extracted. 

Sand mining is the process of pulling or extracting sand whether through an open pit or through beaches and inland dunes. Due to the high demand of sand in construction and other materials, the sand mining industry is huge...multi-billion dollars huge... But unfortunately, as the industry continues to grow and the demand continues to rise- malpractice also creates its path. 

Around the world, sand extraction and illegal mining practices are causing both environmental and social problems. Pursuits for useable sand can cause great damage to rivers, lakes, and other wetlands. Similarly, accelerating rates of use of sand is not proportionate to the extensive amount of time that the natural resource takes to form.