The sheer scale of urban development is truly astonishing. The above image was taken from Google Earth. The tiny dots near the top and middle are houses.

Most of this landscape is populated by massive distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, and transportation infrastructure. Seeing the scale of this engineered surface at ground level is almost incomprehensible.

This is actually what the heart of America’s economy looks like, and how a significant portion of goods make it to all 333 million people. Just think about how much stuff there is in every store, shopping center, town and so on - these landscapes were inevitable!

Predictably, this landscape contains very little ecology. But if you peel back the surface just a little bit, you’ll find urban soils. They’re hidden under a few inches of concrete, disconnected from the flows and movements of Nature. Instead, water flows off concrete and asphalt into the drain and then into the lined canal, and finally into the ocean, bypassing soil entirely.

But what if we could preserve the commercial utility of this landscape while unlocking the potential of urban soil? The first step involves realizing that such an opportunity even exists.

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Engaging the nuances of built and natural metabolisms as our guides to metabolism repair opportunities for true sustainability, health and wellness for all living beings. 

SOILS: The life-sustaining media of exchanges. The air we breathe, the water we need, the food we eat, the nutrient flow & cycling. 

CITIES: Intake and output of Resources and Waste. The system and hub of economy and market. 

The Symposium is not a Conference, but a Platform for cross-disciplinary sharing and exploration. Soils are our common language, our common denominator. Soils Unite!

This is the 9th Annual Urban Soils Symposium. Our vision is for this Symposium to not be a Conference, but instead a Platform for cross-disciplinary sharing and exploration where Soils are our common language and our common denominator. Each year since 2015, we have continuously strived to realize this vision. The format for this Symposium is intended to be equal parts: informative, collaborative, and experiential.

We continue to explore under the overarching theme of Metabolism of Cities & Soils

This Symposium is for: artists, researchers, environmental professionals, growers, community members, government representatives, citizen scientists, and anyone else who is interested in exploring topics at the intersection of the built and natural environments.

Fri., Nov. 22, 2024 | 9 am-7 pm
Sat., Nov. 23, 2024 | 10 am-7 pm

In-Person at Project Farmhouse
76 E 13th St.
New York, NY 10003

 

Format & Sessions

Friday, November 22, 2024

Registration opens at 9 am.
Opening Session at 9:30 am.
Closing discussion at 4:30 pm.
Happy Hour & Exhibit Session until 7 pm.

  • Opening \\ GrowNYC, USI, RUDN
    Metabolism of Cities \\ Dan Walsh, PhD
    Waste Policy & Regulation \\ Dan Walsh, PhD
    PFAS Journey \\ Susan Smith, PhD
    Community and Soils \\ Assemblymember Harvey Epstein
    Soils and the Ramapo \\ Chief Dwaine Perr

    Session Moderated by Steven Watkins

    Sedimeditations \\ Camila Morales
    Grounded and ungrounded community efforts \\ Marion Yuen + Sam S. T. Pressman
    Sustainable development \\ Greg Kiss
    Urban Soil Survey & Classification / Artesols \\ Randy Riddle + NRCS Team
    Swindlers Cove soils survey and remediation \\ Jason Smith

    Session moderated by George Lozefski

  • Session consists of 3 blocks, with two workshops happening concurrently during each block. Attendees not interested in either workshop may network in the common area or enjoy lower Manhattan and return later.

    Choice of one:

    Digging Deeper \\ Shino Tanikawa + Margaret Boozer
    Soils Forum \\ Richard K Shaw, PhD + NRCS Team

    Choice of one:

    Mesocosm Creation Workshop \\ USI Staff
    People's Garden \\ USI Staff

    Choice of one:

    Metabolism Repair \\ Dan Walsh + Paul Mankiewicz + Max Lerner
    Pee-Cycling Workshop \\ Julia Cavicchi + Tatiana Schreiber

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Registration opens at 10 am.
Opening Session at 10:30 am.
Closing discussion at 5 pm.
Happy Hour & Exhibit Session until 7 pm.

  • Opening \\ George Lozefski + USI Team + RUDN
    Metabolism of Soils & Cities \\ Paul Mankiewicz, PhD
    Carbon Stocks in NYC Soils \\ Richard K. Shaw, PhD
    Pee the Change! Urine Nutrient Recycling for Sustainable Food Systems \\ Julia Cavicchi + Tatiana Schreiber + Lucinda Li
    Soils and Us \\ Chief Dwaine Perry
    Soils, farms, and food sovereignty \\ Speaker TBA

    Session moderated by Max Lerner


    Soils as a fertile medium for interdisciplinary exchange \\ Ivi Diamantopoulou + Rami Abou-Khalil
    Soils stories for community \\ Shalena Brown
    Anacostia: Walk the walk \\ Steven Watkins
    Coastal survey for metabolism repair \\ NRCS Staff

  • Session consists of 3 blocks, with two workshops happening concurrently during each block. Attendees not interested in either workshop may network in the common area or enjoy lower Manhattan and return later.

    Choice of one:

    Digging Deeper \\ Shino Tanikawa + Margaret Boozer
    Soils Forum \\ Richard K Shaw, PhD + NRCS Team

    Choice of one:

    Mesocosm Creation Workshop \\ USI Staff
    People's Garden \\ USI Staff

    Choice of one:

    Metabolism Repair \\ Dan Walsh + Paul Mankiewicz + Max Lerner
    Pee-Cycling Workshop \\ Julia Cavicchi + Tatiana Schreiber

Dig Deep Soil Pit Workshop
Thursday, October 3, 2024

As part of our first event in the Take Care series and warm-up to the 9th Annual Urban Soils Symposium, we were thrilled to host over 70 participants at the Dig Deep Soil Pit Workshop, held on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024 at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.

As part of their mission, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) is tasked with mapping and describing America’s rich and varied soils and soil pits are the main way to perform this important task, however, few folks actually get the opportunity to see soil scientists in action. We are very grateful to soil scientists Dr. Richard Shaw and Donald Parizek for ‘uncovering’ the unique characteristics of Green-Wood to event participants.

Photo Credit: Gil Lopez; Syracuse School of Architecture

Contributors

  • Rami Abou-Khalil

    Architect, Educator; Associate Principal, Skidmore, Owings & Merill LLP (SOM)

  • Margaret Boozer

    Ceramicist; Founder, Red Dirt Studio; Co-Founder & Co-Director, USI Art Extension

  • Shalena Brown

    Member, Team P.A.C.T; Fellow, Human Impacts Institute

  • Julia Cavicchi

    Education Director, Rich Earth Institute

  • Ivi Diamantopoulou

    Architect, Educator; Principal, New Affiliates

  • Harvey Epstein

    Assemblymember, New York State Assembly (74th District)

  • Brian Fath, PhD

    Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University

  • Daniel Fiscus, PhD

    Sustainability Scientist,
    Research Alliance for Regenerative Economics

  • Greg Kiss

    Architect; Managing Principal, Kiss + Cathcart

  • Max Lerner

    International Sustainability Practitioner; Founder, Environmental Time Travel Project, Executive Director and Founder, GROW Externships

  • Lucinda Li, PhD

    Environmental Engineer, Postdoctoral Associate, Cornell University

  • Paul S. Mankiewicz, PhD

    Co-Founder, NYC Urban Soils Institute; Founder, The Gaia Institute; Chief Scientist / Co-Founder, Leaf Island

  • Camila A. Morales

    Artist, Designer, Educator; Co-Founder, Buena Onda Art Collective

  • Donald Parizek

    Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS

  • Dwaine Perry

    Environmental and Human Rights Activist; Chief, Ramapo Munsee Nation

  • Mike Rezny

    Assistant Director, Green Space, GrowNYC

  • Randy Riddle

    Soil Scientist; MLRA Soil Survey Office Leader, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS)

  • Samuel S. T. Pressman

    Holistic Landscape Designer, Builder, Educator; Founder, Samuel's Food Gardens

  • Tatiana Schreiber

    Social Research Director, Rich Earth Institute

  • Richard Shaw, PhD

    State Soil Scientist (ret.), USDA-NRCS

  • Jason Smith

    Director - Northern Manhattan Parks, New York Restoration Project

  • Susan L. Smith, PhD

    Artist, Educator;
    Associate Professor of Research
    , University of Maine, Co-Director, USI Art Extension

  • Shino Tanikawa

    Executive Director, NYC Soil & Water Conservation District; Co-Founder, Urban Soils Institute

  • Jim Turenne

    Assistant State Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS

  • Daniel C. Walsh, PhD

    Founding Director, NYC Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation;
    Founder, Clean Soil Bank, NYC Voluntary Cleanup Program and NYC Green Property Certification Program

  • Marion Yuen

    Green Infrastructure Professional; President, The MYA Group

Collaborators

Partner Events

Privacy Statement: Privacy & Data Statement: When you submit or present your work at an in-person event or virtual event, you agree to allow NYC Urban Soils Institute (USI), and NYC Soil & Water Conservation District to feature your video/presentation/submitted work on the USI website and/or USI YouTube channel and livestream your video/presentation/submitted work if presenting live, unless explicitly requested otherwise. Full authorship credits will be attributed to the presenter and any other entities associated with the creation of the video/presentation/submitted work at the presenter’s behest. Any copyrighted content, including images, audio content and quotes, featured in the video presentation/submitted work is not claimed as property of the NYC Urban Soils Institute, NYC Soil & Water Conservation District, or event collaborators. It is the author’s responsibility to properly source, provide credit, obtain permission for all necessary content featured in their work.

If you are presenting and/or participating in the discussions or workshops held or sponsored by the NYC Urban Soils Institute, NYC Soil & Water Conservation District, or collaborators, you consent to group photos. If you choose not to be included, please inform a staff member that you do not wish to be photographed, and in the case of virtual meetings, turn off your video and use a pseudonym for your Zoom profile.

Rich Earth Institute Summit: Reclaiming Urine as a Resource

November 12-14, 2024 | Virtual (Zoom) and In-Person (Vermont)
Register Here


The 2024 Rich Earth Summit marks the 10th annual global gathering on urine reclamation and source separation systems. Urine, rich in essential plant nutrients, can be reclaimed as a sustainable fertilizer to prevent nutrient pollution in watersheds and conserve water resources. This process, known as “peecycling,” can be a vital strategy for both nutrient management and sustainable sanitation solutions. The Summit brings together researchers, practitioners, and advocates from around the world to share knowledge, showcase innovative projects, and foster new collaborations. 

The Rich Earth Summit will include introductory sessions for those new to the topic as well as advanced presentations on cutting-edge research and practical implementation projects. The hybrid format allows participation both virtually and in-person. Interactive virtual sessions will enable participants to explore new ideas and make global connections. The in-person Summit component, hosted in Brattleboro, Vermont, will feature a urine recycling mobile unit created by Wasted* and an Open House at the Research Center of Rich Earth and Brightwater Tools.

2024 Summit topics include: 

  • Urine treatment and processing (including concentration, microbial dynamics, and contaminant removal)

  • Container-based systems and sanitation justice

  • Urine fertilizer applications in agriculture (including farmer partnerships, perennial agriculture, and urine-enriched biochar)

  • Navigating policy and regulatory pathways

  • Design and sociotechnical dynamics

  • Virtual tours of urine recycling facilities

  • Knowledge-sharing strategies and collective action initiatives

  • Engaging youth in circular sanitation solutions


Copyright © 2024 NYC Urban Soils Institute, All rights reserved.

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