“What methods exist that are easy for the average person to use to get microbes to chew up toxic stuff that might be in your garden soil? Here's the book to help you understand exactly what to do: Hands-on explanations of how to get the organisms out there and put them to work. Even if you aren't dealing with hazardous left-overs from before you arrived on the scene, the methods that can be used to add the appropriate biology for different situations are explained and described in this excellent book. I very much appreciated the down-to-earth writing style, the philosophical considerations about why some choices weren't really decent choices, and then the actual "here's how to do it" information is invaluable.”
Elaine InghamChief Scientist, Rodale Institute
“The real and imagined consequences of contaminated soil and water have been some of the greatest impediments to restoration of urban wastelands for food production. Leila Darwish combines the experience of the pioneer activists and innovators with the expertise and knowledge of remediation professionals to create an empowering guide for the large numbers of citizens looking for guidance on this issue. Earth Repair includes enough technical detail and explanation to get most readers up to speed on the subject. The case studies provide empowering examples of how low cost remediation techniques that reflect permaculture design principles can be used to enhance community resilience and advance social justice. In the energy descent future, many more people will be growing food on contaminated land; out of necessity! Earth Repair offers the hope that this can be done without fear of further eroding health and well being.”
David HolmgrenCo-originator of permaculture (1978), author, activist, educator, consultant and public speaker
“Earth Repair, what a brilliant and useful book! Leila Darwish & New Society have brought forth a book for people who will not wait around to heal the world. With a broad and deep view of the historical dynamics of thoughtless upheaval and waste, Earth Repair provides thorough, local-action strategies that communities, with or without resources, can undertake to remediate their damaged landscapes. In accessible language, this book explains how to deal with a serious local issue while also shining light on where to go to deal with the source!”
Mark LakemanCo-founder of The City Repair Project, Communitecture, and the Planet Repair Institute
“Earth Repair is a fantastic introduction to grassroots bioremediation - a indispensible guide for citizen scientists, permaculturists, and ecological justice activists wanting to proactively address the legacy of environmental pollution which we've inherited from our industrial civilization. Within is a highly accessible toolkit of techniques and skills usable by the average person, empowering them to safely destroy or immobilize common contaminants by partnering with familiar biological allies such as microbes, worms, fungi, and plants. As we transition into a sustainable society, this book will be a key text, critical for informing communities in the process of detoxifying our planet.”
Scott KelloggEducational Director of the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center and author of "Toolbox for Sustainable City Living - A Do-It-Ourselves Guide"