Urban Soil Testing

In Indianapolis' local weekly newspaper NUVO, editors shared information about a project that tests the soil of urban neighborhoods. Free soil testing is offered to residents of two neighborhoods lying shortly northeast and west of Indy's city center. The communities are experiencing high levels of unemployment and below-average graduation rates. Additionally, high levels of lead in the communities' soil are negatively impacting local children. According to NUVO, the soil contaminants "threaten to exacerbate a host of social ills by undermining local children's ability to concentrate and learn."

An EPA grant is funding the project, which is administered by Improving Kids Environment (IKE) and IUPUI.

IKE founder Tom Nelter founded the organization to bridge what he views as a "gap that existed between the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, a regulatory agency not focused on health, and the Indiana Department of Health, which wasn’t addressing environmental issues" (NUVO).

Soil and water conservation is traditionally thought of as having a rural focus. However, the quality of our natural resources, whether they're located in a city center, in agriculture, or protected lands, affect each person individually. Environmental health is human health.

What non-ag soil and water conservation projects have you seen in your community?