Program on the Environment

Marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental health concerns. The Puget Sound Region is no different, with community garden soils contaminated with lead and arsenic. These heavy metals can cause heart disease, cancer, dementia, and other severe health concerns. King County provides free soil testing and education pamphlets to anyone who’s affected. However, these resources are difficult to access or are completely unavailable to non-English speaking communities. To bridge this accessibility and knowledge gap, I interned at the Danny Woo Garden in International District. By researching community-developed solutions and working with elders in the garden, I was able to determine equitable ways to communicate and collaborate with marginalized communities. Through my literature review, I found that lime is the most effective, accessible, and organic amendment to help mitigate soil contaminants. During my internship, I conducted soil tests and applied a lime amendment to garden plots. Soil remediation resources were then made accessible throughout the community to decrease soil contaminant risk. I worked to provide the gardeners with autonomy to conduct soil tests, apply amendments, and interpret test results themselves. In order to create an equitable solution, highlighting community members as important stakeholders and taking a roundtable approach to co-develop solutions are crucial steps to providing autonomy to marginalized communities.