The Emerson Street Community Garden held their Groundbreaking Celebration this Saturday, and JHC was there to provide our lead poisoning education and resources to the Garden’s community. The Emerson Street Garden is a located at 822 NE Emerson. In 1995, the original apartment building burned down and left a small plot of land highly contaminated by lead. In 2008, it was given to the Oregon Sustainable Agricultural Land Trust by Multnomah County, and is now in the hands of the volunteer Emerson Working Group, who are making efforts to decontaminate the soil using Phytoremediation.
The ceremony was held right in front of the garden plot, complete with a speech by Commissioner Dan Saltzman, delicious food provided by neighbors and friends, and musical entertainment by various talented young musicians from the community. For pictures of the event, click here! And read on for amusing stories and details from the fun-filled evening.