From http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2000/2000L-02-23-09.html. Given all the
bad news for community gardens recently, it is nice to know they are
winning in some places. If you live in a city, push for your own community
gardens.
Mike Miller
CONTAMINATED VACANT LOT TRANSFORMED INTO GARDENS
HARTFORD, Connecticut, February 23, 2000 (ENS) - Government and community
efforts have teamed up to clean a contaminated lot in Hartford that will be
used this spring for gardens, recreation and wildlife. The 1.2 acre parcel
had been polluted with toxic levels of lead. Soil from almost
three-quarters of the lot was removed and replaced last fall by the city,
under an agreement last year with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). Trinity College students and professors used an innovative
agricultural technology involving lead absorbing vegetation to clean the
rest of the lot, which is near the college campus. The lot will provide a
garden for students in the Quirk Middle School across the street. The House
of Bread soup kitchen, which serves Hartford’s homeless, plans to plant a
vegetable garden this spring. There will also be a wildlife area and a
community garden.
"It is deeply gratifying to watch a project that successfully engages
community groups, the city, the state and the federal government in working
together for a better urban environment," said Mindy Lubber, acting
regional administrator of EPA New England. The team from Trinity College
reported that students reduced lead from levels in excess of 1,000 parts
per million (ppm) to less than half that amount. The allowable level for
soil that is to be used for residential or agricultural purposes is 500
ppm. The group planted Indian mustard at the lot last summer as part of
their project. "The garden was an important demonstration because it shows
that a poor neighborhood with limited resources can tackle environmental
problems," said Hebe Guardiola-Diaz, a Trinity assistant professor of
biology and neuroscience who guided the student research effort. "The
project appealed to our students, who are very interested in the
environment and very interested in doing something to improve the quality
of life in Hartford."
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