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How Communities Are Giving New Life to Polluted Land

Summary

This article explores grassroots efforts to revitalize polluted lands across the U.S. by using innovative and community-driven remediation strategies. The Green Era Campus in Chicago, built on a former impound lot, exemplifies urban transformation. Its multi-million-dollar cleanup employed strategies like soil replacement and anaerobic digesters, creating a hub for food waste recycling and sustainable farming. Similarly, in Maine, the Mi’kmaq Nation collaborates on using hemp to address PFAS contamination on a former military base. While phytoremediation like this is cost-effective, it has limitations, especially with "forever chemicals" like PFAS. These initiatives highlight the intersection of environmental justice, community leadership, and innovative remediation, offering scalable solutions for reclaiming contaminated land for public benefit.

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