[Communications] Send us your questions for the CCGA Panel Discussion: Safety of Biosolids & PFAS from a Soil and Plant Perspective

Fri Feb 24 09:42:28 CST 2023

Hello,

I am the Community Garden Coordinator for the City of Evanston and I have a
few questions on behalf of our community gardens who used the MWRD compost
in their garden plots.

The most prevalent question is how to move forward, should they replace the
soil in their plots (many plots are in-ground, some raised beds)?
Are certain vegetables more affected from PFAS in the soil?
Is testing or remediation available for PFAS in soil?

What I would like to know: How likely is it that our water (that we use in
the gardens) also contains PFAS and would that make soil
replacement/remediation efforts counterproductive?

Thanks! Looking forward to the panel.
Laura

On Thu, Feb 23, 2023 at 11:30 AM Chicago Community Gardeners Association
CCGA <chicommgardeners at gmail.com> wrote:

> [image: PFAS Email reminder-art.png]
> Hello everyone!
>
> We're looking forward to spending time with you this Saturday. It looks
> like we'll have a full house and we're hopeful that this will be an
> informative, lively, and productive panel discussion.
>
> SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS!
> We're collecting questions ahead of time for the panel and will also have
> an open Q & A as time permits. If you'd like to submit a question in
> advance, please reply to this email (chicommgardeners at gmail.com) no later
> than 12pm, tomorrow, Friday, February 24.
>
> EVENT INFO
>
>
>    - *The Hatchery Chicago* is located at 135 N. Kedzie, at the southeast
>    corner of Lake St. and Kedzie Ave, right at the Kedzie Green Line station.
>
>
>    - Checking in: Doors will open by 10am. Enter the front door to the
>    Hatchery building on Kedzie, and you'll see a CCGA check in table.
>
>
>    - Parking: There are a limited number of parking spots in the surface
>    lot off of Albany between Lake St. and Washington Blvd. Free street parking
>    is also available on Lake St. or Washington Blvd.
>
>
>    - Beverages & Snacks: We’ll have some coffee and tea available. Please
>    bring your own water or another beverage, as well as any snacks you may
>    need.
>
>
>    - *Agenda:* At 10:30, we'll start off with some introductions, then
>    each of the panelists will give a short presentation. Afterward, we will
>    start the Q&A session with the questions you've submitted, and then open
>    the floor for more questions and discussion.
>
>
>    - *Questions?* If you have any questions or need assistance, please
>    reply to this email (chicommgardeners at gmail.com)
>
>
> MEET THE PANELISTS
>
>
>    - Dr. Dominic Brose is a Senior Environmental Research Scientist at the
>     Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD)
>    <https://mwrd.org/>. His specializations are in biosolids, soil
>    chemistry, statistics, and risk assessment. Prior to the MWRD, Dr. Brose
>    was with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and
>    ToxServices, LLC in Washington, D.C. Dr. Brose received his B.S. from
>    Purdue University and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.
>
>
>    - Nance Klehm has been working in bioremediation for over 10 years and
>    has been an ecological systems designer, landscaper, horticultural
>    consultant, and agroecological grower for more than three decades. Her
>    approach is centered on instigating change by activating already existent
>    communities, and her work demonstrates her lifelong commitment to
>    redefining the way human populations coexist with plant and animal systems
>    on this planet. She is the founder and director of operations of Social
>    Ecologies <https://socialecologies.net/social-ecologies/>, which
>    creates durational projects that aim to build healthy habitat and
>    interaction through direct engagement of place with those who dwell there.
>    She recently launched The Soil Keepers Community Training Program
>    <https://socialecologies.net/cms/social-ecologies/the-soil-keepers/>,
>    which endeavors to build a network of soil advocates who are equipped with
>    the knowledge and skills to create social ecologies that are resilient to
>    the challenges of the 21st century.
>
>
>    - Dr. Andrew Margenot is an Assistant Professor in the University of
>    Illinois Crop Sciences <https://cropsciences.illinois.edu/>. His
>    research interests include urban agriculture and soil- organic matter and
>    enzymes. His team evaluates how human activities can enhance or compromise
>    soil services to human societies, with an emphasis on food security from
>    urban and rural agro-ecosystems in the U.S. Midwest and East Africa. His
>    work advances how we monitor and manage soils as natural capital.
>
>
>    - Mariyana Spyropoulos was elected to the Metropolitan Water
>    Reclamation District <https://mwrd.org/> Board of Commissioners in
>    2010, serving as Board President from 2015-19. Mariyana emphasizes
>    community outreach and engagement by speaking to community groups
>    throughout Cook County about water, good government, and environmental
>    issues. In 2017, she received both the Illinois Water Environment
>    Association Public Official Award and the Spirit of the River Award from
>    Friends of the Chicago River.
>
>
>    - Jennifer Walling is the Executive Director at Illinois Environmental
>    Council <https://ilenviro.org/>, where she has served since January of
>    2011. She oversees the strategic direction and management of the
>    organization and lobbies decision makers on environmental issues. Jen is
>    dedicated to building the power of Illinois’ environmental community to
>    secure policy outcomes that protect the environment.
>
>
>    - May Toy* (moderator) *is the President of the Skinner Park Advisory
>    Council <https://www.skinnerpark.org/> and a member of the CCGA
>    Advocacy & Outreach and Resources & Distributions teams. She has been a
>    community gardener for over 25 years. As president of the Skinner Park
>    Advisory Council, she led efforts to help build and restore three community
>    gardens: two in Skinner Park and another on a closed section of Loomis
>    Street. May is also active in her community and is an advocate of public
>    parks, open spaces, and community safety. She volunteers her time to serve
>    as Neighbors of West Loop’s Vice President and Chair of the Parks and Open
>    Space Committee to work on park issues and concerns in the West Loop as
>    well as on the 12th District’s Police Advisory Council.
>
>
>
> [image: PFAS-Diagram.png]
>
> A large variety of plant species can take up PFASs from the environment.
> Vegetables and grains are the most commonly investigated crops, with
> perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as
> the most studied PFASs. The potential sources of PFASs for plant uptake
> include industrial emissions, irrigation with contaminated water, land
> application of biosolids, leachates from landfill sites, and pesticide
> application. Image credit & Source
> <https://chicagocommunitygardens.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7f2904daf2a26a891c68f8bb0&id=31976b2ea9&e=042c64c038>
>
>

-- 

*La**ura Nusekabel*

*Community Garden Coordinator*

Parks and Recreation Department

City of Evanston

Ecology Center

2024 McCormick Blvd. | Evanston, IL 60201 | 847-448-8145
Lnusekabel at cityofevan <Lnusekabel at cityofevanston.org>ston.org
<Lnusekabel at cityofevanston.org> | cityofevanston.org

*2021 All-America City  |  2021 What Works Cities Silver Certified*
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