Workshop 2 - Saturday, October 10th
Soils Alive - presented Dr. Anna Paltseva
In this workshop, Anna will teach you about the roles of organisms and the nature and functions of organic matter in soils. You will learn how to observe soil critters and indicate soil health by its aroma. To follow along with Anna's demonstrations please prepare 2 cups of topsoil or potting soil and mineral soil (several inches down in your garden), two funnels, two coffee filters, two containers to hold draining water, and water. At the end of the workshop, you will know about emerging agro-wastes that will improve your garden soil in addition to the best compost recipes that will enhance soil health and contribute to climate change mitigation.
Bio:
Anna Paltseva, Ph.D
Anna Paltseva is an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette at the School of Geosciences. She received her PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the Graduate Center of The City University of New York. Anna had previously taught at New York University, Brooklyn College, New York Botanical Garden, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Anna’s research focuses on understanding the levels of contamination in, and risks of consuming, vegetables grown in soils with lead and arsenic. She had developed educational materials, led soil workshops, and coordinated collaborations with international researchers for the NYC Urban Soils Institute.Anna’s mission is to educate communities about the critical importance of soil health for growing nutritious food and medicines, supporting healthy ecosystems, and helping to sequester harmful greenhouse gases.
About Soil & Workshops, Entertainment, Performances, Exhibits
The air we breath, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the waste we produce or reuse, the water we use to survive: As we explore the living fabric of health; soils as the supporters and connectors of our fundamental living needs, we can make some deeper connections to some of the facets of our lifestyles that are impacted by the choices we make with our soils resources, and the impacts we have on our environment, both good and bad.
To make up for not being able to host our outdoor art and soils festival, tour, and expo, we are incorporating interactive workshops, entertainment, performances, and exhibits that will be intertwined into the format of symposium. Artists, scientists, urban farmers, educators, landscape architects, architects, and practitioners from diverse sectors will share their explorations, engage the public with demonstrations or interactive activities, and provoke and probe new ideas.