The Soil for the Air project puts real science in the hands of real people studying soil biology with the goal of offering a new approach to combat climate change.
What's involved?
People
harnessing the power of communal curiosity and knowledge sharing.
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Science
at home to explore ways to combat climate change.
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Design
that makes science beautiful.
Why does it matter?
Empowering
regular people to make valuable contributions to science.
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Discovering
brand new solutions with the freedom to truly explore.
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Changing
the way we see our soil for the good of our air.
How does it work?
Soil for the Air is a crowd-sourced soil biology research project that hopes to find a way to harness the power of carbon-sequestering soil fungi by growing them food plants. Currently, Soil for the Air is focusing on Fava Beans as a host plant for this fungi, which requires a suitable population of compatible plant roots to survive in the soil. More information on the science behind this project can be found on the Research page, or by requesting even more info on the Join page.
Right now, Soil for the Air is looking for 5 initial participants who will receive the growing kits for free, and who live in the New York City metro area. In the future, Soil for the Air will grow to include additional participants, and the hope is to expand outside the New York area.
Participants in Soil for the Air will receive all the materials in a Growing Kit that are needed for the soil biology research. The kit it designed to be unobtrusive, so it can be both functional and enjoyable to see on a daily basis. The kit includes:
- 3 growing tanks for the plants and fungi
- A stand to hold the growing tanks
- A starter set of seeds that have been inoculated with fungi
- A user guide
- A bag of soil, if the participant does not have access otherwise
Participants will be part of an online community that serves as a way to exchange information and tips, and to ask questions. The lead researcher is also part of this community, in order to organize participants, answer questions, and have discussions about the project.
The User Guide will help participants know what to look for once their plant/fungi ecosystems are growing. Once signs of successful growth are visible, the lead research will take a soil/root sample and examine it under a microscope. Then the amazing microscope images of what you've grown will be sent back to you!
Who's participating?
Climate change is a big problem. It's scary, difficult to solve, and a lot of the time, regular people feel helpless to make a real difference.
Participants in the Soil for the Air project are regular people who are interested in science, concerned about our environment, and want a real way to help. People who work on DIY research and experimentation projects and share their results with other people doing similar work are called Citizen Scientists. Science can seem intimidating - but citizen science doesn't take a lot of fancy equipment, special knowledge of a scientific field, or lots of time and money. All the Soil for the Air project really takes is enthusiastic people, a special indoor planter, an easy soil test, and an interest in being part of an online community.
Want to know more about the science behind the Soil for the Air Project? Check out our Research page.
Already thinking of getting involved? Investigate the Join page to learn how.
