Nuestros Suelos: exploring new forms of public engagement with polluted soils

Despite being a critical environmental problem, soil pollution is not usually considered as relevant issue by the general public. This disinterest derives from traditional procedures to assess that are quite complex and costly, considering any form of citizen involvement. Seeking challenge this situation, project “Nuestros Suelos” (Our Soil) aimed at designing testing low-cost participative assessment toolkit. The final prototype included several modules, going an history local soils measuring heavy metals such Arsenic Copper. Tested with low-income communities in northern Chile, toolkit was able only produce multiple kinds data but also public started understand care about issue.