11th Annual Urban Soils Symposium
Soils: The intersection of the natural & constructed
Friday, October 16th, 2026
Soils Building Health Symposium
9:30 am - 5:30pm + Happy Hour
Fordham School of Law
140 W 62nd St., New York
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Soils Investigation + Art Exhibition & People’s Garden Eco-System Tour
Time TBA
Governors Island, New York
In preparation for Soils Building Health, join us for a virtual screening of Common Ground
Thursday, October 8
7 pm EST
Free to attend; RSVP Required
Common Ground is the highly anticipated sequel to the juggernaut success documentary, Kiss the Ground, which touched over 1 billion people globally and inspired the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health. By fusing journalistic expose’ with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy – before it’s too late.
About the symposium
With soils as our common denominator, the symposium is a vibrant ecosystem of sharing and exchange. Voices come together from all sectors, disciplines and backgrounds to collaborate, and grow our capacities within a holistic understanding of soils to better our livelihoods, development, wellness and health of us and our planet.
Who should join?
All who interact and are interested in the world supported by soils. Bring your projects, ideas, research, stories, and explorations to share.
The symposia are not stand-alone conferences, but a sequel of explorations, creations, and cross pollination that repair, build, and optimize the relationship between the metabolisms that run the built and natural environments.
Soils Unite!
Soils Building Health Companion Exhibition
October 17 - Swale House, Governors Island
We are excited to host a pop up exhibition at Swale House on Governors Island for Saturday, October 17, 2026 in conjunction with our 11th Annual Symposium!
Soils are foundational to life on earth. USI's 2026 symposium, Soils Building Health, will consider soil-based ecological systems in urban environments as they relate to remediation, agriculture, and microbiomes supporting urban soils, ourselves and communities. Please review the information below before applying to the exhibition, proposals are due September 10th. notification will be by September 20th. Direct questions to both Walker Tufts (walker@camplittlehope.com) and Rebecca Murtaugh (rebeccamurtaugh@gmail.com).