Early bird Discount 20% Off Until September 17th 2023!

Bioremediation & Earth Repair

Learn to work with our plant, fungal, and bacterial allies to heal the earth.

This class will introduce you to a range of ecological approaches to remediating landscapes.

Sign up with members of your community to benefit from our group discounts. 

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

INSTRUCTION

  • Taught by Leila Darwish, author and expert in bioremediation, disaster resilience
  • Classes are live w/recordings available
  • Resources and recordings on the virtual class platform will be available for a year after the course completes

COURSE DATES

  • Location: Virtual
  • Dates: Oct. 17th-Nov. 28th, 2023
  • 6 weeks (no class on Oct 31st)
  • Time: Tuesdays, 6:00-8:00pm PST
  • Helpful Tool: Time Zone Converter 

PAYMENT

  • We offer sliding scale tuition and payment plans to make our courses as accessible as possible
  • Abundant Tuition: $400
  • Standard Tuition: $350
  • Resilient Tuition: $300
  • All amounts are in US dollars

SCHOLARSHIPS & DISCOUNTS

  • Group discounts and Diversity Scholarships available? Yes! Keep reading below

YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY

  • All are welcome. There are no prerequisites to this course

QUESTIONS? 

WHAT IS EARTH REPAIR? 

What is Bioremediation?

Bioremediation is the use of microorganisms, plants, and fungi to remove or neutralize contaminants, allying with living systems to detoxify contaminated environments. Many micro-organisms, plants and fungi are able to bind, extract or transform contaminants to create less toxic, healthier, and increasingly resilient ecosystems.

This class will provide an introduction to different bioremediation tools and techniques for detoxifying and revitalizing the gardens, lands and waters that sustain and nourish our communities, highlighting bioremediation projects and inspiring practitioners who are working with regenerative remedies to heal toxic realities.

Defining Terms 

  • Microbial Remediation: Treating contaminated areas with microorganisms to remove and break down pollutants
  • Mycoremediation: Cleaning water, and soil with fungi
  • Phytoremediation: Cleaning water, and soil with plants

(Photo credit: Komi oil spill near Usinsk and Ust-Usa, Russia: Photographed by Greenpeace Russia, 2014. Wikimedia Commons)

COURSE SCHEDULE

Photo by CoRenewal

What You’ll Be Learning 

  • Session 1 – Bioremediation Overview & Microbial Remediation: Definition and overview of bioremediation  techniques. Site assessment and testing for contamination. Contaminants 101: metals and chemical pollutants.  Introduction to microbial remediation and key site  considerations. Microbial remediation tools (thermophyllic compost, actively aerated compost tea, vermiculture, biochar)
  • Session 2 – Phytoremediation: Types of phytoremediation. Site preparation and considerations. Indicator plants. Key plant species for different remediation scenarios. Hyper accumulators and heavy metal extraction. Phytofiltration. Case studies and application: lead remediation
  • Session 3 – Mycoremediation: Introduction to mycoremediation. Types of fungi and their remediation and restoration applications. Decolonizing mycology. Site considerations, preparation, and maintenance for mycoremediation projects. Key fungi species and remediation installations. Mycofiltration. Training mycelium.
  • Session 4 – Bioremediation & Disasters,  Part 1 –  Wildfires: Post-wildfire contaminants and ecological impacts. Bioremediation responses for post-wildfire contamination. Case studies in post-wildfire bioremediation recovery, restoration, and myco-mitigation. Special guest presentation by Taye Bright & Maya Elson (CoRenewal), and Cheetah Tchudi (Butte Remediation)
  • Session 5 – Community Bioremediation Project Design: Tips for designing successful bioremediation projects, including building remediation teams, securing project funding and donations, developing testing plans and remediation plans. Community engagement. Special presentations on Ardawa Project (Bethlehem, Palestine) and Rhizae Renewal Collective (Baltimore).  Guest speakers: Mohammed Saleh (Palestinian Permaculturalist, Mostadam EcoDesign & Ardawa Project) & Robin Gukle (Rhizae Renewal Collective).
  • Session 6 –  Oil Spills and Self Care for Bioremediators & Frontline Communities: Oil spill behavior & conventional clean-up. Bioremediation tools for oil spill response. Protective equipment and safety protocols. Self Care & Community Care – working with plants and fungi for self care, health, and resilience in toxic environments.

Every class will include case studies to learn from real life examples and applications.

Bioremediation heals contaminated soils in order to grow safe and healthy food for our community. 

MEET YOUR TEACHER

 Leila Darwish, Lead Instructor

Leila Darwish (she/her) is a community organizer, bioremediation educator, author, and disaster response and recovery worker with a deep commitment to providing accessible and transformative tools for communities dealing with the toxic contamination of their lands and waters, and responding to natural and environmental disasters. Leila currently works in the field of emergency management, disaster resilience and recovery, supporting communities on the frontline of climate change. 

 

For over a decade, Leila has taught bioremediation and oil spill response courses in communities across North America. She  has worked as a community organizer for environmental justice organizations across Canada and the USA on a variety of climate justice and watershed protection campaigns. 

Leila is the author of, “Earth Repair: A Grassroots Guide to Healing Toxic and Damaged Landscapes” (New Society Publishers: print, ebook, audiobook).

We are proud to call Leila a graduate of Earth Activist Training’s Permaculture Design Certificate course.

Guest Presentations by Community Bioremediators

– Taye Bright, Mycologist &  Post- Fire Bioremediation Researcher
– Maya Elson, UC Santa Cruz Mycelial Solutions Lead  & CoRenewal Microbial Innoculation Program Coordinator)
– Mohammed Saleh, Palestinian Permaculturalist, Mostadam EcoDesign & Ardawa Project
– Robin Gunkle, phD, Rhizae Renewal Collective
– Cheetah Tchudi (Program Director, Butte Remediation)
– and more…

READ WHILE YOU WAIT

(Photo credit: Robin Gunkel, Rhizae Renewal Collective) 

 Writings & Resources

FUNDING YOUR EDUCATION

Payment Options

We are dedicated to making this course work for you, and offer a range of options for payment. All amounts are in US dollar
  • Certificate Student. For Students looking to get the most out of this course. You will get full access to all course materials. Sliding scale tuition $300-$400
  • Audit Student. Student who are looking to only attend the live sessions: ($200)
  • Alumni. Those who want a refresher or complete certificate. You need to have take this course with us before ($100)
  • Payment Plan for Certificate Students. Four part payment plans ($95 down with 3 monthly payments of $85)
  • Diversity scholarships. Available for indigenous and people of color working in environmental or food justice
  • Group Discounts. For those who are for coming as a group of 2 or more people.

Every Abundant Tuition helps support a Diversity Scholarship.

FULL CERTIFICATE COURSE

This includes weekly live sessions, access to online class materials, access to google classroom. Requires completion of homework.
  • Abundant Tuition: $400
  • Standard Tuition: $350
  • Resilient Tuition: $300

AUDIT COURSE PRICE

This only includes weekly live class sessions.
  • Standard Tuition: $200 

PAYMENT PLAN

  • Payment of $95 when you register.
  • Three monthly installments of $85 ($350 total).
  • Our Student Support Team will assist you in setting up this process

 

    GROUP DISCOUNTS 

    • Groups of 2-5 people – Discount of $75 off each ($275 total for each person)
    • Cohort of 6-10 people – Discount of $100 off each ($250 per person)
    • Must indicate who all is in your group at registration

      DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS 

      • Earth Activist Training is committed to increasing the diversity of global permaculture and regenerative land movements
      • We recognize the history of this land called the United States and Canada and seek to do what we can to rectify the deep injustices and systems of inequity that formed and continue to shape society today

        Supported by your donations, a select number of pay-what-you-can Diversity Scholarships are available for Indigenous Peoples and People of Color working in environmental and food justice.

      • These scholarships are pay-what-you-can with the recommended value of 50% of standard tuition ($175), but any amount will be accepted and appreciated

      If you have any questions we are always here to help: support@earthactivisttraining.org

      YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY

      Interested in preparing for disasters and holistic approaches to community preparedness? Check out Fire, Flood, Drought & Heat: Creating Community Resilience (January – February, 2024). 

      OUR NETWORK

      A core component of this course – and every Earth Activist Training course – is our private forum: Earth Activist Training Online network. This platform is where you will find course resources, your homework, and a network to connect with classmates and other Earth Activist students. 

      Recordings of each class will be available to you as a resource. You will have access to the course for a year after the course ends should you want to deepen your understanding of the material.

      REGISTER

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