The Green Era Campus in Chicago’s South Side is a shining example of community-led efforts to remediate brownfield sites and transform them into vibrant, productive spaces. Erika Allen, a pioneer in urban agriculture and founder of the Urban Growers Collective, spearheaded the transformation of a 9-acre abandoned lot in the neighborhood of Auburn Gresham into a thriving hub for energy development, composting, education, community events, and food production.
The site, formerly used as an impound lot and owned by a manufacturer of agricultural equipment, was littered with debris and contaminated with petroleum, motor oil, and other pollutants. The team at the Urban Growers Collective embarked on a years-long remediation process, which included a variety of strategies tailored to the site’s intended uses.
One of the key elements of the Green Era Campus is a commercial-scale anaerobic digester that processes food waste from local sources. To accommodate this facility, the team built on top of some of the contaminated areas, using concrete barriers to prevent further contamination. In other areas, contaminated soil was excavated and replaced with clean soil.
The remediation efforts at the Green Era Campus were not without challenges, both logistical and financial. The team secured an EPA grant for brownfield remediation in 2017, but the overall cost of the project ran into the millions. Despite these challenges, the team’s dedication and vision have paid off, creating a model for community-led brownfield remediation and sustainable land use.
The success of the Green Era Campus serves as inspiration for other communities grappling with abandoned or contaminated sites. By harnessing the power of phytoremediation and other innovative remediation techniques, communities can reclaim and revitalize brownfields, turning them into valuable assets for food production, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. As the vision of food sovereignty in recovery takes root in cities across the country, the Green Era Campus stands as a testament to the transformative potential of community-driven remediation efforts. The Green Era Sustainability project is making waves in the realm of environmental cleanup and community revitalization. Co-founder Jason Feldman described the cost of the cleanup as “absolutely astronomical,” exceeding the value of the land itself. However, Feldman and his team view this investment as a crucial step in reversing the narrative of disinvestment in the community.
The project, which includes a composting facility, aims to address environmental racism and create a sustainable future for the area. Despite the challenges, the team is determined to innovate and educate the community while reducing the financial burden on residents.
While phytoremediation was not suitable for the Green Era site, the team is exploring this approach for future projects. They hope that the compost produced at their facility can support other remediation efforts and urban reforestation projects.
Phase one of the Green Era Campus is now complete, with the site clean and operational. The team is raising funds to expand the campus, which will include a vertical farm, a community education center, a plant nursery, and a stormwater mitigation area.
In a different part of the country, the Mi’kmaq Nation in Maine is tackling PFAS contamination on their land acquired from the Loring Air Force Base. PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” pose a significant health risk and are challenging to remove from the environment.
Chelli Stanley of Upland Grassroots is leading a research project with the Mi’kmaq Nation to test hemp’s ability to clean up PFAS-contaminated soil. After five years of experiments, they have found that hemp can remove PFAS from the soil, though it is not a complete solution due to the synthetic nature of PFAS.
Despite the challenges, these projects demonstrate the power of community collaboration and innovative approaches to environmental cleanup. By investing in the land and exploring new remediation techniques, these groups are working towards a cleaner, more sustainable future for their communities. Phytoremediation, the process of using plants to remove contaminants from soil, has shown promising results in the removal of PFAS from contaminated sites. However, even if the plants are successful in removing PFAS from the soil, there is still a need for additional methods to destroy the PFAS that accumulates in the plants themselves.
According to experts in the field, such as Stanley, the challenge lies in finding effective ways to break down the PFAS chemicals once they have been absorbed by the plants. Simply removing the plants from the contaminated site and disposing of them in a landfill is not a viable solution, as it would only serve to spread the chemicals elsewhere.
Currently, researchers are exploring various techniques to destroy the PFAS in the plants, including chemical treatments and biological processes. The goal is to find a method that can effectively break down the chemicals without causing harm to the environment or human health.
One such initiative is the research being conducted by a group that recently received a four-year grant from the EPA to continue their work on PFAS remediation. The partners involved are taking a long-term approach to the project, with the ultimate goal of cleaning the land as much as possible and ensuring that plants grown on the site in the future are free from harmful contaminants.
While phytoremediation has shown some success in removing PFAS from the soil, there is still much work to be done in finding ways to fully remediate the persistent chemicals. Despite the challenges, working with bioaccumulating plants like hemp remains a low-cost and accessible option for land stewards dealing with contamination issues.
In the meantime, researchers are hopeful that continued efforts and advancements in technology will lead to more effective methods for destroying PFAS in plants. By combining the benefits of phytoremediation with other remediation techniques, it may be possible to achieve a more comprehensive solution to the problem of PFAS contamination in soil and water. scratch about the benefits of regular exercise:
Regular exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall well-being. Not only does it help to improve physical health, but it also has a significant impact on mental health. The benefits of regular exercise are numerous and can positively affect all aspects of your life.
One of the primary benefits of regular exercise is improved cardiovascular health. When you engage in physical activity, your heart rate increases, which helps to strengthen the heart muscle and improve circulation. This can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Regular exercise also helps to lower cholesterol levels and improve overall heart health.
In addition to improving cardiovascular health, regular exercise can also help to maintain a healthy weight. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories, which can help to prevent weight gain and promote weight loss. This is especially important in today’s society, where obesity rates are on the rise. By incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine, you can help to maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of developing obesity-related health issues.
Another benefit of regular exercise is improved mental health. Physical activity has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as improve mood and boost self-esteem. Exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers and mood elevators. This can help to reduce stress and improve overall mental well-being. In addition, regular exercise can also improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of developing cognitive decline as you age.
Regular exercise is also essential for building and maintaining strong muscles and bones. As you age, muscle mass naturally decreases, leading to a loss of strength and mobility. By engaging in strength training exercises, you can help to preserve muscle mass and prevent age-related muscle loss. In addition, weight-bearing exercises, such as walking or running, can help to improve bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
In conclusion, the benefits of regular exercise are vast and far-reaching. From improving cardiovascular health and maintaining a healthy weight to boosting mental well-being and building strong muscles and bones, regular exercise is essential for overall health and well-being. By incorporating physical activity into your daily routine, you can significantly improve your quality of life and reduce your risk of developing chronic health conditions. So, lace up your sneakers, hit the gym, or go for a walk – your body and mind will thank you for it.
