Brownfields Training, Research,

     and Technical Assistance

           Grant Fact Sheet


  Kansas State University

EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, tribes.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. EPA
funds eligible applicants through assistance agreements to
provide training, research, and technical assistance to
facilitate brownfields revitalization.

Organization Description

This project will be conducted through the collaboration
of three departments of Kansas State University: the
Center for Hazardous Substance Research (CHSR), the
Department of Agronomy, and the Department of
Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources
(DHFRR).  Over the past nine years, CHSR has managed
Technical Outreach Services to Native American
Communities, Technical Assistance to Brownfields
Communities, and Technical Outreach Services to
Communities. The Department of Agronomy houses
state-of-the-art laboratory facilities to support the
research objectives of this project. DHFRR houses the
University's Cooperative Extension programs, which
provide a statewide extension  educational effort in
horticultural food crops, landscape, and home
horticulture.

Project Description

Local gardening and marketing initiatives and agricultural
activities in urban areas are increasing due to rising
energy costs, demand for locally grown produce, and
interest in sustainable practices. Many local farms are, or
will be, located on land that may be contaminated by
previous use. Little is known about the impacts of
contaminants on gardeners and food safety from urban
and other types of local farming activities on brownfields.
Through this project, Kansas State University will
 Sustainable Gardening
 Initiatives on Brownfield
 Sites
 Grantee:
 Kansas State University

 Project Focus:
 Advancing the Sustainability of Local Gardening and
 Farming Initiatives on Brownfields

 Project Period:
 October 2008 to September 2013

 Estimated Annual Funding Amount:
 $150,000
 Contacts
 For further information about Kansas State University and
 its brownfields technical assistance activities, visit
 http://www.k-state.edu/. For more information about this
 project, call 785-532-7209.

 For further information, including specific grant contacts,
 additional grant information, brownfields news and
 events, and publications and links, visit the EPA
 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
 or call 202-566-2777.

 * The information presented in this fact sheet comes from
 the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of
 this information. The implementation plan for the grant
 has not yet been finalized. Therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
advance the environmental, economic, and social
sustainability of local gardening and agricultural activities
on brownfields in urban, rural, and tribal areas. It will
conduct research, training, and technical assistance with
several community gardening initiatives in different
geographical areas of the country. Research will result in
tools that enable laypersons to easily determine the
suitability of brownfields for gardening and farming.
Educational materials will be developed about the
selection of appropriate crops for specific types of
brownfields. These materials will be distributed through
workshops, web-based seminars, and web pages.
                                                             Solid Waste and
                                                             Emergency Response
                                                             (5105T)
                          EPA560-F-08-289
                          September 2008
                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

-------