Bioremediation

So, the book is coming along really well….slow but steady~
Come on contributors! Get your submissions to me!

I just got my hands on this hot little book put out by the Rhizome collective in Austin, TX. The following excerpt on Bioremediation is written by Scott Kellogg and Stacey Pettigrew.

I thought it was an interesting follow up to the last posting, seeing as the city is planning an ex-situ clean up in the Maguire Meadow. This text briefly describes the difference between on- and off-site soil clean up:

“Using bioremediation to treat contamination is not radical in and of itself- it is an accepted method in mainstream engineering. What is radical is an approach that uses techniques that are cheap and simple and can be carried out by people with little to no background in science and without being dependent on engineers and massive funding. These techniques give people a genuine hope of proactively cleaning the soil in their backyards, community gardens, playgrounds and parks.

Bioremediation differs greatly from conventional ex-situ (off-site) methods of soil remediation. Typically, such methods destructively excavate huge amounts of contaminated soil. The soil is then either landfilled and replaced with sterile fill dirt or transported to a facility for chemical- and energy-intensive treatment and then returned, all at great financial cost. Such investments tend not to benefit poor communities. In contrast, bioremediation is an in-situ (on-site) process. All treatments are done on location. No soil is removed from the site. Bioremediation’s processes result in an improvement or overall quality and health of the soil.”

Here is the cover of Scott Kellogg and Stacey Pettigrew’s beautiful and informative book. Illustrations are by Juan Martinez.