Updated Oct. 17, 2023
The Bullitt Foundation awarded the 17th annual Bullitt Environmental Prize to UW School of Social Work MSW student Kristina Chu for their innovative work focusing on the environmental and health risks of urban community gardens and farms. This prestigious prize is designed to broaden and diversify the leadership of the environmental movement in the Pacific Northwest.
Environmental and food justice efforts promote the creation of urban community gardens and farms in low-income neighborhoods and in communities of color. However, many of these gardens are located on former manufacturing and industrial sites that pose health risks to these communities.
“Information about the gardening conditions is not transparent, especially for Black and Brown communities,” says Chu. “Our work is about empowering community members so that they understand the contamination risk involved and can advocate that something be done about it.”
Chu, working alongside research, advocacy and environmental justice organizations, such as Sustainable Seattle, helps to educate community gardeners about the risks associated with these plots of land in the greater Seattle area. Their work builds upon the research of UW Assistant Professor Melanie Malone at UW Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences.
"Farmers and gardeners deserve clear and accessible information about their growing spaces,” says Chu. “Given widespread efforts to localize food production and build community in urban gardens and farms, it’s important to share information beyond academic spaces and to our community gardeners to minimize risk.” (If you are gardening at a P-patch or other community space, you can contribute to this research by taking a survey here.)
Chu’s work is part of a broader movement to advocate for improved soil standards, more accessible soil and plant contamination testing, and education around soil quality. As community gardens grow in popularity among historically underrepresented communities, their selection as a Bullitt Prize Fellow is extremely timely.
The Bullitt Foundation was founded in 1952 by Dorothy Bullitt and focuses on safeguarding the natural environment by promoting responsible human activities and sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest.