The Hub Farm, owned and operated by the Durham North Carolina Public School system, provides outdoor and agricultural education and teacher training. On May 3, the Duke University Superfund Research Center’s Community Engagement Core (Megan Hoert Hughes and Chiara Klein) partnered with the NC State University Center for Human Health and the Environment (Lacey Brown) to support an educational event for the DPS community focused on the themes of biodiversity, soil health, soil contaminants, and the many benefits of growing a home garden. Each family who attended was able to engage with resources and educational activities from a variety of community partners, including the Durham Public Library, Durham Solid Waste Management, Environmental Protection Agency, Carolina Theatre, and NC Cooperative Extension. They also received six plants to bring home to start or add to their garden, including tomatoes, tomatillos, ground cherries, squash, and cucumbers.
The Duke Community Engagement Core focuses on developing environmental health literacy around the sources, risks and means of reducing exposure to chemical contaminants in soils. At our table, kids and families learned about how sunflowers can work to bioremediate soils contaminated with lead and had the opportunity to plant their own sunflower seeds in a tiny greenhouse. We also gave away gardening gloves and pH and moisture meters for home gardening as two means of reducing exposure to chemical contaminants. The suite of educational materials produced by the Duke CEC and shared with the community at this event, including 10 Healthy Garden Habits, can be found here. Many thanks to the Hub Farm for inviting us to connect with the DPS community and spend a glorious day in the garden!
