Plants help us in so many ways. Got a cold? Drink peppermint or ginger tea. Can’t sleep? Make a cup of chamomile tea. Want to cook something foraged and wild? Harvest nettles in spring, chop them into a pot of soup, or steam like spinach and toss with rice or pasta.
We gather plants constantly — from supermarket shelves, backyard gardens, meadows, and woodlands. Trees offer wood for building and burning, berries for eating, nuts for gathering. The natural world is extraordinarily generous.
But let’s go deeper. Across the United States and around the world, we have lands contaminated by decades of industrial activity. Watersheds are polluted. Soils are laden with heavy metals and synthetic chemicals. Air carries invisible toxic loads. How do we begin to reverse this damage — and leave a cleaner legacy for future generations?
The answer, in many cases, is already growing in the ground. It’s called phytoremediation: using living plants to absorb, neutralize, and remove contaminants from soil, water, and air. And it may be one of the most powerful nature-based solutions we have.
What Is Phytoremediation?
Phytoremediation (from the Greek phyto, meaning plant) is a form of bioremediation that uses living plants — and the microorganisms in their root zones — to manage environmental contamination. Unlike conventional cleanup methods that excavate and haul away toxic soil (often just relocating the problem), phytoremediation works in place, over time, letting plants do what they’ve always done: absorb, transform, and release.
The field has grown significantly in recent years. The North American phytoremediation market was valued at $1.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $2.1 billion by 2033, driven by growing interest in sustainable, low-cost alternatives to traditional dig-and-dump remediation.
The Science: How Plants Clean Contaminated Soil and Water
Plants clean up pollution through several distinct mechanisms:
Phytoextraction — Plants absorb pollutants (especially heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and nickel) through their roots and store them in leaves and stems. The above-ground biomass is then harvested and safely disposed of, taking the contaminants with it.
Phytodegradation — Plants break down organic pollutants like petroleum hydrocarbons, dry cleaning solvents (PCEs), and pesticides using enzymes produced in their roots and tissues. The contaminants are metabolized into less harmful compounds.
Phytostabilization — Dense plantings physically stabilize soil, preventing contaminated particles from spreading through wind or water erosion — critical for protecting nearby waterways and lowlands.
Phytovolatilization — Some plants absorb contaminants through their roots, convert them into less toxic gaseous forms, and release them through their leaves during transpiration. Done correctly, the result is water vapor — not toxins.
Brownfield Sites: America’s Hidden Toxic Legacy
My podcast guest Kat Van Deusen, an ecological engineer, has built a career around these very challenges. Working across New York and New Jersey, her firm Environmental Logic specializes in remediating what are known as brownfield sites — abandoned or underused industrial lands where soil and groundwater have been contaminated by past use.
What’s in these soils? The list is sobering:
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)
Petroleum products and hydrocarbon spills
Dry cleaner fluids — among the most persistent and toxic groundwater contaminants
Heavy metals — lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium
Landfill leachate
Traditional remediation involves excavating the contaminated soil and trucking it elsewhere. But as Kat points out: where does it go? Other techniques break down contaminants and spray them into the air — potentially trading one pollution problem for another. Phytoremediation offers something different: a living, self-sustaining system that cleans from within.
📸 [IMAGE SUGGESTION 2] — Before-and-after photo pair: a barren brownfield site alongside a restored green space with native plantings. Before/after visuals perform strongly in organic search and social shares.
The Plants That Do the Work: Nature’s Cleanup Crew
What makes phytoremediation remarkable is that the plants involved are often ones we already know — and sometimes dismiss as weeds.
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are perhaps the most famous phytoremediators. After the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, sunflowers were planted on floating rafts to absorb radioactive cesium-137 and strontium-90 from contaminated water. In 1994, a multinational cleanup effort documented a 95% reduction in radionuclide levels using this method. A similar Fukushima sunflower project was launched after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan. Sunflowers are what scientists call hyperaccumulators — plants that absorb and store toxic metals at concentrations far beyond what would kill ordinary plants.
Pokeweed and cedar trees are early successors — first-wave colonizers of disturbed land that begin drawing up contaminants and stabilizing soil structure before other species can establish.
Cattails (Typha latifolia) and phragmites — those tall, feathery reeds you see lining highways near ponds and wetlands — are extraordinary at filtering contaminated runoff and protecting aquatic habitats. While phragmites is sometimes labeled invasive, there’s an argument to be made that it’s showing up precisely where it’s needed: in nature’s own cleanup effort.
Dandelions, so often targeted by lawn care, are effective soil stabilizers with deep taproots that help break up compacted earth and draw minerals upward.
Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) is another well-studied hyperaccumulator, especially effective for extracting lead and cadmium from contaminated agricultural soils.
Reading the Landscape: What Plants Tell Us About Pollution
One of Kat’s most striking skills is her ability to scout a landscape and detect hidden contamination by observing which plant species are present. Certain plants colonize toxic sites in predictable patterns — a living map of what lies beneath.
Her process for remediating a contaminated site follows a careful sequence:
Landscape evaluation — assessing topography, drainage, and slope, since contaminants follow water.
Plant species inventory — identifying which species are already present and what they signal about soil chemistry.
Staged replanting — introducing plants in succession to prevent further migration of contaminants toward water or lower-lying land.
Phytoextraction and metabolism — target plants absorb contaminants, break them down, and transpire water vapor — no longer toxic.
Groundwater monitoring — repeated testing has shown up to 80% reduction in soil and water contaminants using this approach.
Why This Matters Now
We are in a moment of growing urgency around soil health, water quality, and environmental justice. Many of the most contaminated brownfield sites sit in low-income communities — the communities that can least afford costly conventional cleanup and that most need the green spaces that phytoremediation can eventually create.
Nature-based solutions like phytoremediation offer something beyond cleanup: they restore ecosystems, create habitat, and return beauty to blighted land. Research published in 2026 shows that phyto-managed brownfield sites can outperform conventional remediation in long-term economic value — while also providing carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and community green space.
The plants were here long before our industrial age. In many ways, they’ve been cleaning up after us all along.
Want to learn more about ecological restoration and the wisdom of the plant world? Listen to Judith’s full podcast interview with ecological engineer Kat Van Deusen at Environmental Logic.
In this episode of Cloud 9 Online’s MediMindful Moment Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Lynne Hartwell, the Founder of L’Unique Realm. Lynne shares the benefits of several energetic healing techniques, including sound vibrational therapy, crystals, gemstones, and natural essences.
Episode Highlights:
Lynne shares her background. (00:53)
Lynne leads the mindful moment exercise. (2:36)
From Lynne’s perspective, what do people need to focus on in terms of their mindfulness? (5:51)
Lynne mentions something significant about uncertainty. (6:03)
Lynne shares several energetic healing techniques including sound vibrational therapy (7:43)
Lynne mentions the benefits of using crystals and gemstones for healing. (10:01)
What are a few gemstones that Lynne recommends using? (12:15)
Is it more effective to be in physical contact with the stones? (17:18)
Lynne shares how essences work with our bodies. (26:23)
Lynne explains the best way to transition between essences for a different vibe. (40:26)
Key Quotes:
“When we elevate our energy levels, when we allow ourselves to collect and calm ourselves and allow ourselves to rebalance, we’re better able to move forward and to face those challenges and to move forward past those challenges.” – Lynne Hartwell
“Everybody listens to music, except for those that have some hearing impairments, they can still feel the vibrations and the vibrations are felt within the body, which is a therapeutic effect in itself.” – Lynne Hartwell
“When you allow yourself to take the moment and allow this chemical, this plant into your body, it is not only working on you on the nervous system level, it is also slowing down your circulatory system, which then allows the promotion the release of certain chemicals that are beneficial for your body.” – Lynne Hartwell
How would you like to have a food forest patch in your yard? Maybe dedicate an 8×8′ square bit of land, ideally removing some lawn? Imagine adding small fruits, food, medicinal plants right in your own back yard? One of the basic tenets of permaculture is to create a ‘food forest patch’ in our yards. What is that and how can I plan a ‘forest patch’ with food in my own yard?
When I hear the word forest I think of trees, lots of them, maybe pine needles and old leaves on paths. Understory trees and shrubs fill in that landscape sometimes making the area appear dense with foliage. Other times these lower story plants line a pathway. How can I mimic this system on a smaller scale in my front or back yard and include food?
My podcast guest this week, Micheal Judd, talked about creating a ‘food forest patch’ in our yards. Before I describe what he suggested I would like to remind all of us about the importance of our forests from a permaculture perspective. Let’s look at some facts:
Forests are home to approximately 50-90% of all the world’s terrestrial (land-living) biodiversity — including the pollinators and wild relatives of many agricultural crops (Source: WWF Living Planet Report 2010)
Tropical forests alone are estimated to contain between 10-50 million species – over 50% of species on the planet.
Rainforests cover 2% of the Earth’s surface and 6% of its landmass, yet they are home to over half of the world’s plant and animal species.
From these basic facts, it should be evident that forests themselves are synonymous with life, biodiversity, and fertility. Where life gathers, complex and mutually beneficial relationships are created between organisms; natural harmonious communities form, and life forms multiply and proliferate.”
Forests are the best of life and offer ways for us to live in harmony. They provide food and are great examples of how species work together. Yet, we continue to tear down our forests for the sake of development, our thirst for lumber and other byproducts made from trees, and the need for fields for mass monotype agriculture and farming.
Michael suggested that we take (where possible) a small patch maybe 8′ by 8′ and plant a fruit tree. He includes nitrogen-fixing plants such as lupines, blue indigo in the same area. Add other perennials to the mix all planted within this 8×8″ space. Spreading mints can be added too. I had the chance to visit and be on one of his yard tours in MD. Mints were all over the place but didn’t give me the feeling of taking over. He chops and lets the plant material drop. Very easy and very cool.
As you cut back these companion plants, you leave the plant material right there which continues to build mulch. All of this adds beauty and diversity to your landscape. Check out pawpaw, juneberry, black currants, Aronia’s. Aronia or chokecherries are native to our continent. There is much to choose from.
Summary:
Dedicate an 8 x8′ patch for new plants.
Add 8″ compost, layering the materials and leave over winter.
In the spring: Select a fruit-bearing tree appropriate to your region.
Add leguminous plants when you plant the tree; lupines, peas. Around the outer edges add more plants.
Michaels’ book shown above has great detailed ‘how to’s’ and photographs to illustrate his ‘food forest patch’. I highly recommend his book. I personally refer to his ideas over and over. Think about the gardeners in your life. This book is a great addition to any gardener’s library.
So, what would you do? Can you take away some lawn and create a’ food forest patch’? Let me know if you do. All comments are appreciated. Enjoy. Judith
Sustainable and edible landscapes capture our attention and our creativity. Sustainability is a buzz word. It’s how we conserve resources and protect our environment. Yet we seem to favor unsustainable practices in managing our landscapes, our yards, our municipal lands. What’s the difference?
Let’s look at Sustainability: Sustainability means using our resources with the intent of replacing them better than when we began, so we leave something viable for the next seven generations, as my elders would say. One of the primary areas we can change today is the use of our personal yards, front or back, and create, bring in more diversity to improve the overall picture of global warming’s effects. That means we need to rethink lawn. And rethink how we approach nature. Is she something we use regardless of consequences? Or can we see nature as an intelligent entity, that has had 3.8 billion years to refine and define operating systems, so she thrives? How do we fit in as humans managing her resources and gifts? In the big picture, we are a young species.
My podcast guest this week, Dr. Jean Shoinoda Bolen, an activist for women’s rights, mentions Wangari Maathai is her book: Like a Tree. Intrigued I looked up this courageous woman and felt inspired to share her story with all of you. The above movie portrays Wangari Maathai’s vision. She started the Green Belt Movement in Kenya and helped plant thousands of trees turning barren land into a verdant landscape that rebuilt soil, improves water conditions, and gave the community pride and dignity. More importantly, she took one simple action to her community and made a difference.
Sustainability is a vital and invaluable component of getting back to creating holistic environments.
As you look through garden and seed catalogs, rethink your spaces. Research an edible shrub or tree to add food for you and wildlife. Plant a few different native plants to keep our wildlife thriving.
I hope you feel as inspired as I do by one person;’s vision and action that changed her community and left a wonderful legacy. Together we can create a sustainable world and enjoy the journey. We love hearing from you and hope you’ll share your stories with us. Thanks. Judith
As a child, I didn’t like crawly critters like worms. It took me a while to get comfortable picking one up. Whether in garden beds, composers, sighting a worm hopefully means the soil is being aerated, decomposition is going on and in general, there’s a sigh of “it’s a good thing.” Kids are fascinated too. Worms are easy to hold and handle and make for a successful hands-on show and tell. Gardeners like to look for worms too. It took me a while to get used to them. But as a gardener, I now know how invaluable they are to maintaining healthy soil.
Vermiculture is the official name for using red wiggler worms to decompose waste materials. Other types of worms help out too. What I found particularly helpful is that you can keep red wigglers in the house for table scraps. Their decomposed poop, known as worm castings, are especially good to add back into the soil.
“Because the earthworms grind and uniformly mix minerals in simple forms, plants need only minimal effort to obtain them. “ (Wikipedia)
Nightcrawlers and red wigglers are frequently mentioned in vermiculture. But, we now have an “invasive” species of worm. What’s the difference?
My podcast guest this week, Gail Reynolds, gave us an introduction to worms as composters and how we can use them in our homes to decompose vegetable matter. Pretty interesting right? She tells us how to have them in our home which works well in the winter. Worm castings can be made and added to our garden beds even in winter.
A nightcrawler/dew worm eats soil. A Red Wiggler, Eisenia fetida, eats decomposing matter like rotten fruit, vegetables, manure. They are reddish in color.
Jumping worms, however, Amynthas spp., are a different story. They devour forest floors rapidly and then flood the floor with nutrients. Our forests use matter that decomposes more slowly so we don’t know the long term implications yet. And the decomposing matter is larger, more grainy like coffee grounds which alters soil composition, especially for understory plants. The photo below, from Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources site, gives a good visual of the damage they can cause. these worms have a white ring around them and slither like snakes and can move quite quickly.
What can you do? Know your worms. If you should find any jumping worms inform your state’s agricultural department. Wisconsin has a ban on them. Sadly we are seeing them in our forests here in the NE. Spring is here. It will be good to get outdoors. As you garden be vigilant. Many invasive species are harming our landscapes.Together, one yard at a time, we can make a difference. Enjoy. Judith
Blog: Wetlands: When I moved into my first home many years ago, I wanted to get involved in the town. Someone, I don’t remember who mentioned that the town had an environmental committee. Intrigued, I wondered what the town envisioned for itself environmentally. I had an interest in recycling, practical ecological applications to preserve water, land and air.
It was no coincidence that around the same time, I subscribed to a magazine titled: Garbage. (Need I say more?) This magazine sought to discuss the latest trends in gathering garbage, storing trash, and how to dispose of the leftovers that could contain toxic materials.
One article, in particular, caught my attention and I remember the broad outlines of the story today which as you will see is pertinent to today’s discussion on wetlands.
A town in California needed a new water treatment plan maybe a sewage treatment plant. The estimate for a new facility was around $52 million dollars, costly for any town at that time., mid-1980’s. So, other options were investigated.
For significantly less money, between $2-5 million, folks realized that the landscape of the town and the surrounding area contained miles of marshland. They could develop a waterway system that kept the wetlands intact and at the same time collect purified water at the end of the line. Somehow, folks back then had the vision to realize that at least seven miles of marshland can filter and recharge water. My podcast guest this week, Gail Reynolds, reminded me of this story as I thought about the different types of wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide.
Basically, wetlands catch water from the surrounding areas, usually runoff from lawns and agricultural land uses. They capture nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides to name a few. These components deposit into the sediment at the bottom of the wetland. Then plants can absorb these elements and convert them into plant matter. When this happens in the summertime, wetlands prevent contamination downstream.
“Wetlands are superb at purifying polluted water, replenishing aquifers and harbouring wildlife. But they are almost always terrible places to build houses. Only about 5 percent of the land area in the continental United States is composed of wetlands. But these transitional zones—neither completely dry nor entirely liquid—are enormously valuable, especially when it comes to controlling floods. Wetlands act like natural sponges on the landscape, absorbing and then gradually releasing storm waters and lessening flood damage.” John Mossbarger, La Jolla CA, in Scientific American also adds this: “Wetlands serve as primary habitat for thousands of wildlife species—from ducks to beavers to insects—and form an important ecosystem link between land and water. They also play a key role in maintaining water quality, as they filter out agricultural nutrients and absorb sediments so that municipal water supplies don’t have to. On and near shorelines, wetlands provide a natural buffer against storm surges and rising floodwaters, helping to disperse and absorb excess water before it can damage life and property.”
It’s estimated we have destroyed about 85% of our wetlands in this country. Wetlands: habitat for plants, animals, insects, offer water filtration and purification services, perfectly set up to manage flood areas. They provide invaluable ecosystem services and are precious.
The good news is that we are taking some measures to preserve what we have and what’s left. What can you do? If you have wet areas on the property, learn how to manage them that preserves them. And, I just learned that there is World Wetland Day. This year its Feb 2nd. They have a great interactive website and educational materials available for you to use to promote awareness in your community.
When out on hikes or walking in your neighbourhoods, keep an eye out for marshy areas. Keep in mind how limited they are today and how precious their ecosystems are in today’s landscapes.
Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN, Writer, Speaker, and Workshop Presenter, Master Gardener.
our forests for the sake of development, our thirst for lumber and other byproducts made from trees, and the need for fields for mass monotype agriculture and farming.
Summary: 
verdant landscape that rebuilt soil, improves water conditions, and gave the community pride and dignity. More importantly, she took one simple action to her community and made a difference.
matter. Pretty interesting right? She tells us how to have them in our home which works well in the winter. Worm castings can be made and added to our garden beds even in winter.
storm surges and rising floodwaters, helping to disperse and absorb excess water before it can damage life and property.”
