Too often, Western science isolates a single variable when studying a problem,  but the combined climate, food, and equity crises faced by society require an application of research that combines an understanding of ecosystems, food systems, and the urgency of our situation. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and other non-western schools of thought often have a more holistic approach. 

When attempting to address brownfield remediation, there is a tendency to follow the Western research and focus on one method or another. Through our conversations with local nonprofits, community gardeners, and urban farmers, we came to understand an important misunderstanding surrounding bioremediation. 

Those attempting remediation will plant sunflowers or use fungal spores, but little else is done to alter the landscape. They worry about disposal of plant waste that contains heavy metals. They are unsure how mycoremediation is accomplished or where to source fungi and what fungi is going to work. The research has not met practical applications in the places most in need.

Nature, however, works in ecosystems and over time, and it almost never hauls off waste to the rubbish bin. This led to the design of our multimodal approach to bioremediation that more closely matches what is found in nature.