Worcester 's Toxic Soil Busters : IMC Worcester

On Saturday, July 29, 2006, from 2-4PM, the Worcester Roots Project kicked-off their Toxic Soil Busters (TSB) demonstration site at the Hawley Street Community Garden. The kick-off was a neighborhood jamboree held together with the Regional Environmental Council’s summer “Arts at the Gardens” activities.

The TSB is a youth led cooperative seeking not only to teach community residents about the dangers of lead in our back and front yard soil, but also a profit-making venture to demonstrate and assist community residents how to affordably de-contaminate lead filled soil. The TSB are serious about tackling environmental justice in Main South and Piedmont areas of Worcester. The TSB demonstration site is designed to display different covering techniques, raised bed gardens, landscaped areas, walkway designs, and phytoremediation – the use of plants to extract toxins from the soil – all low-cost ways of managing lead-contamination in yards. As a post-industrial city with a lot of old chipping lead paint, Worcester has many areas with elevated soil lead levels, presenting a significant danger to children playing in these areas and those who garden and eat food grown in contaminated areas. “This event is a great opportunity for us to introduce our group and the results of our hard work to the people,” says Janice Serano, a member of TSB.

Getting people’s to stop and think about possible lead contamination isn’t the easiest task, and so the TSB chose a theatrical approach to educate community residents which was inspired by the never forgotten hit movie “Ghost Busters”. What better way to show residents of Worcester how to search out, track, subdue and capture lead than to re-wire their memory cells with some ‘80’s pop … “Who you gonnnnna calll? ….. Toxic Soil Busters!”

They first came from their Toxic Soil Busters mobile and headed for the demonstration site with vacuum hoses, water guns, compost, geraniums, and corn. These items were used to perform their skit while wearing white jump suits. Here short out-take from the script,

P1: Isn’t there anyone who can get the lead out ! ? ! ? ! ?
P1 & P2: Who are you guys?!
TSB 1: We’re the Toxic Soil Busters ladies.

~~Lead starts getting angrier~~

P2: WHOA! He looks real pissed off now! Aren’t you guys scared?
TSB 2: We ain’t afraid of no lead fool!
TSB 3: (while scanning the lead) Whoa! We have a 2200 ppm reading coming from this one!
TSB 4: How did it get so strong though?
TSB 2: Ok lead! Lets see how you like some compost! ~~throws compost at lead~~

~~Lead looks like it got affected, yet is still not dead~~

TSB 2: It’s time to pull out our special weapon: plants, we call it “phytoremediation”.
TSB 3: Eat geranium, lead head!

~~Chase lead with geraniums, plants one on his foot~~

TSB 4: Looks like it’s working!
P1: You guys got the lead out! How can I repay you?
TSB 1: no need to repay us ma’am! Were simply fulfilling environmental justice and only ask for you to spread the word that TSB is in town!

We asked some people about their thoughts on the event. More than one person had a response. “What an entrance we had made” said Matt Feinstein a Toxic Soil Busters member also coordinator of visitors and safety of the group. Another persons response was” I think we did a tremendous job on Saturday and we hope to get more people involved next time” said Matt Small coordinator of educational sites and demonstration sites. They had made a tremendous effort on the event and demonstration site.

The Toxic Soil Busters hope to visit more community gardens and public schools continuing public education efforts. In the future, the TSB hope to be more connected in the community and hope to build their business and be noticed. Toxic Soil Busters also see their business plan as a plant growing from the ground to the top. June 20th is now Toxic Soil Busters day since their conference with Mayor Tim Murray. If you can support us in any way or would like any more info please e-mail us at matt@worcesterroots.org or mattsmall@worcesterroots.org or call us at (508) 335-7783 or visit us at our office at 301 Pleasant Street.

Worcester's Toxic Soil Busters

TSB entering

TSB ready to fight lead!

TSB explaining their demo site

TSB viewers

TSB acting out play!

TSB's group pics

TSB's JAMBOREE banner

TSB member sitting near demo site

Demo site scene

TSB member being interviewed

TSB members practicing skit

TSB pulling tarp off of truck

TSB in costume

TSB member speaking to the audience