Events

As part of the LA Urban Soil Social Impact Collaborative, the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, TreePeople, and UCLA hosted a Reclaim Urban Soils Workshop at MudTown Farms in Watts on March 7th. Watts is a community that may be affected by legacy contamination of soils from industrial land use. This was a soil education and testing event with the goals of addressing concerns about soil contamination and developing soil resource systems for community-scale ecological restoration.

The LA Urban Soil Social Impact Collaborative hosted a free soil testing event at Washington Park in Pasadena on December 6th, 2025. Pasadena is a community that was affected by the Eaton fire in January 2025. This event aimed to address concerns about potential soil contamination from substances released from the fire and potential legacy contamination that existed prior to the fires. Representatives from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UCLA, TreePeople, Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation, Mount Saint Mary’s University, Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles, and Watts Labor Community Action Committee were all in attendance. 

The LA Urban Soil Social Impact Collaborative hosted a free soil testing event at Washington Park in Pasadena on October 4th, 2025. This event aimed to support residents affected by the 2025 LA County wildfires and address concerns about soil contamination through soil testing and resources for improving soil. Representatives from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UCLA, TreePeople, and Centre for Ecological Remediation were in attendance. Soil samples were tested using portable XRF analyzers to detect heavy metal contaminants. Participants received results and were given personal consultations from experts on strategies to minimize exposure to contaminants and how to improve their soil. More than 80 residents had their soil tested, and more than 200 soil samples were screened. The Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation provided information on remediation of soils. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources also had a demonstration on how to amend soil with compost and mulch.