Greenpoint Bioremediation Project

In 2015, through a competitive process, Newtown Creek Alliance (NCA) received $81,928 in GCEF funding (and provided $85,700 in matching funds) to increase public knowledge about urban soil health, and the use of biological methods to reduce pollutant contamination in residential soils (e.g., fungi-based remediation and compost tea, a nutrient- and beneficial microbe-packed soil amendment distilled from compost.) Major project activities included holding three full-day, hands-on workshops at Greenpoint community gardens and the North Brooklyn Community Boathouse on the topics of urban soils and bioremediation of soil contaminants. The project also produced an “Introduction to Urban Soil Bioremediation” citizen-guide poster to support the workshops and for general community education purposes, and created a bookshelf of literature about soil ecology at the Greenpoint Library Environmental Education Center. A compost tea brewer was installed at Java Street Community Garden, and compost tea is still being brewed to date.

In addition, the project developed a webpage on the NCA website to share project materials – including workshop videos and the “Introduction to Urban Soil Bioremediation” poster – with the wider Greenpoint community, empowering residents to directly improve the health of the soils at their homes and in their neighborhoods. The Greenpoint Bioremediation Project continues to distribute its citizen-guide poster at all NCA events and to community partners, including North Brooklyn Neighbors and Greenpoint schools.

For more information, visit Newtown Creek Alliance’s Greenpoint Bioremediation page: NewtownCreekAlliance.org/Bioremediation/

Photos: 1, 3-6 above by Mitch Waxman.

• Engaged over 150 community members through a series of workshops and public events on urban soils, fungus-based mycoremediation, and compost tea’s beneficial microbes
• Installed a 55-gallon compost-tea brewer at Java Street Community Garden, and held 4 related demonstration and distribution events
• Brewed and distributed a total of 165 gallons of compost tea by the end of the project
• Created “An Introduction to Urban Soil Bioremediation” citizen-guide poster, available on the website and distributed in hard copy in the community
• Created a community collection of books relating to soils and bioremediation techniques housed at the Greenpoint Library Environmental Education Center and available to the general public
• Created a webpage on the Newtown Creek Alliance website to share all project materials, including videos of community workshops

• Greenpoint Bioremediation Project: “Introduction to Urban Soil Bioremediation” citizen guide poster
• Greenpoint Bioremediation Video Segments:

Urban Soils Institute Workshop (May 22, 2016):

Greenpoint Bioremediation 2016 Workshop Excerpts:

Elaine Ingham Workshop (July 9th, 2016):

Tradd Cotter Workshop, Part 2 (July 31st, 2016): (Watch Part 1 here)

Daniel Reyes Workshop (July 31st, 2016):