Though we were not able to address this concept in our workshop, in the area closest to our house, we made a bio-remediation site. Bioremediation means using living things -microbes, plants and fungi- to cleanse and heal soil and water.
We sprinkled large amounts of organic sulfur on the ground first, planted Mammoth Grey Stripped Sunflowers, and inoculated the area with oyster mushrooms.
To briefly explain, fungi excrete enzymes to digest decaying matter and many fungi can break down stable compounds, the sunflowers then set deep roots and pull up the toxins, and the sulfur assists in this process too.
Other plants that are helpful in this process are:
Indian mustard greens, Brakefern, Alpine pennycress
Through the process, we were mentored by our good friend who had spent time working with the Common Ground Collective in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, working tirelessly on many projects there, including repairing the soil while working with residents to create spaces for healthy land, water and food to grow.
(Of course, at the end of the season, we will have to dispose of the sunflowers, as hazardous waste.)
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