Background/Question/Methods There is a disconnect between people and soil, especially in urban areas. For example, rarely do policy makers, planners, and urban residents consider soils as a living resource, capable of providing ecosystem services such as stormwater retention. Urban scientists often lack understanding about how people view and interact with soil, limiting the relevance of research. To explore the relationship urban residents have with soil, TreePeople launched the community-based “Healthy Soils for Healthy Communities” initiative in Los Angeles (LA), CA. One objective of this initiative is to measure knowledge of and community needs around LA soils. To that end, four online surveys (in both English and Spanish) were developed and disseminated to residents, policy-makers, soil-related professionals, and educators in LA County. Questions were aimed at understanding how each group uses and interacts with soil, their value, knowledge, and interest around soil, and their soil-related concerns (e.g., contamination, soil quality).
Due to LA County’s size, to create a representative sample, we divided it into eight geographic regions using the LA County Department of Public Health service areas and calculated how many participants from each area were needed. A total of 1,349 participants completed the online surveys including 1,104 residents, 139 educators, 19 policy-makers, and 187 professionals. Results/Conclusions In general, people in LA County are concerned about environmental issues, soil contamination, and pollution. For example, 76% of residents are very or extremely concerned about soil contamination. However, only 12% have tested their soils even though 85% interact with soil during gardening or yard maintenance. Similarly, 66% of educators use or know another teacher who uses green spaces on campus to teach, but only 8% know whether their campus soils have been tested. This lack knowledge about what soil contaminants might exist could mean people are inadvertently exposing themselves and children to heavy metals and pollutants.
People in LA County also value and attempt to maintain soil. They have observed earthworms and fungi, fertilize infrequently, and even more rarely use pesticides. Furthermore, 73% of residents use the City’s green bin for their green waste, or use green waste as mulch or compost on the property. However, among residents, 70% reported being not at all or only slightly knowledgeable about factors that influence soil health. That said, 76% of residents expressed being interested in learning more. Additional results and implications for education, policy, and community engagement will be further discussed.
