Earth Day soil sampling and testing!

Wondering about lead pollution in your garden? Interested in soil ecology? Did you know the UN declared 2015 the International Year of Soils? Come celebrate Earth Day with us by doing some soil sampling across Oakland! Soils feed the world, and they're long overdue some appreciation. 

Targeted areas are along the course of Temescal Creek, from where it comes out of the Oakland Hills, to where it flows out into the Bay. We will also sample some locations around (and under!) the Omni Commons in the Temescal. Plus, maybe YOUR backyard or community garden? Want to know if you have any lead pollution in your veggies? This is your chance!

Once we get back to Counter Culture Labs with our treasures, we will do some simple lab tests, including bacterial counts and checking for the presence of bacteria that may be producing novel antibiotics (http://www.the-odin.com/the-iliad-project-kit-find-new-antibiotics-at-home/). We will also submit soil samples for microbial diversity sequencing, lead content testing, and secondary metabolites analysis (see http://www.drugsfromdirt.org/).

Bring a way to transport yourself and/or others between sample sites, a clean trowel if you have one, plus your smart phone to document our sampling sites.

PS: Recommended donation is $10, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Some of the testing services we will be submitting soil samples to do cost money, so if you'd like YOUR sample tested, we'd like to ask you to help cover the costs. Routine soil testing through UMass (which includes lead testing) is $15 plus shipping. Testing for microbial diversity through UBiome is $89 per sample.