Save the Earth with Sunflowers
Become an urban agriculturalist by planting species like sunflower and winter wheat that pull toxic chemicals out of the soil. As an added bonus, these cheerful plants will brighten any neighborhood!
Certain plants and flower are known as “hyper-accumulators”, which means that are hearty and extract lead and other heavy metals found in previously developed urban areas. These can be rotated to maximize mineral extraction. This is a big deal in areas that don’t have access to clean water, including from municipal water sources. Sunflowers and winter wheat are just two examples of plants that are attractive, relatively inexpensive and easy to grow, including in urban spaces. They have the added benefit of extracting heavy metals from the ground so that the soil and water are cleaner.
How do I get started?
Download our PDF for tips on how to launch your project
Do some research on hyper accumulators
Scope out appropriate locations for planting in your town
Start an information campaign to educate people on the benefits of planting certain species
Launch a fundraiser, or approach garden stores or other retailers that sell seeds and plants for donations
Organize a group, and get out and plant
How many hours will this take? All in, this project is estimated to take between 15-20 hours.
How can I expand this narrative arc? There are two main categories of project that logically expand this narrative arc: community beautification campaigns or environmental advocacy. Consider some of these projects:
Reduce the environmental impact of your community’s Christmas celebrations by launching a Mulchfest.
Track climate change in your part of the world by planting a Tulip Test Garden.
Participate in a quick citizen science project that revolves around the environment or sustainability like The Big Microplastic Survey
Physically build and deploy satellite-tracked Student Drifters that track ocean currents and validate ocean models.
Apply for a grant from the Captain Planet Foundation for your own ocean related project.
HOT TIP: This is a project that makes a lot of sense if you’re live in a community with available land or you are interested in environmentalism. It is really impressive if you are able to plan and execute this self-directed project yourself and build on it with other activities in this narrative arc.