Your Community Can Help
Restore Damaged Land
Plants have the documented ability to draw heavy metals, break down certain pollutants, and stabilize contaminated soil. This knowledge shouldn't be locked in university labs.
We're building a citizen-science community where rural residents, gardeners, teachers, flood-affected homeowners, and community organizations learn the science together — and take real action in real soil.
No prior science background needed. No expensive equipment required. Just curiosity and a patch of soil.
Already convinced? See Founding Member offer →You Don't Need to Be a Scientist
This course and community is built for people who are ready to act — wherever they're starting from.
Rural Residents & Landowners
You've inherited old farm ground, live near a former industrial site, or just want to know what's in your soil. You need practical tools — not a PhD.
Flood-Affected Communities
Recent flooding redistributes industrial pollutants, sewage, and heavy metals across formerly clean land. Learn which plants help, how to document change over time, and what to do first.
Gardeners & Food Growers
You grow food for your family and want to be certain your soil is safe — and to improve it over time using plants, not chemicals.
Teachers & Educators
Phytoremediation projects make compelling, real-world STEM education. School gardens become environmental monitoring stations. Students become citizen scientists.
Community Organizations
Neighborhood groups, environmental justice orgs, and community gardens can run remediation pilot programs. We provide the templates, plant guidance, and data collection tools.
Curious Beginners
You heard something about sunflowers cleaning up Chernobyl and want to know if that's real. (It is — and you can run your own version.) No background needed.
Contaminated Land Is Closer Than Most People Realize
Millions of acres in North America carry the legacy of industrial activity, agricultural chemicals, flooding, and urban development. Professional remediation costs tens of thousands of dollars. Plant-based approaches cost seed money.
Industrial Contamination
Factories, fuel storage, dry cleaners, and manufacturing sites leave persistent chemical residues in soil and groundwater — often for decades after operations cease.
Flood-Driven Contamination
Flooding redistributes industrial pollutants, sewage, agricultural runoff, and heavy metals across formerly clean land — a pattern accelerating with changing weather.
Heavy Metal Accumulation
Lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and other heavy metals persist in soil indefinitely without active remediation — posing health risks to children, gardeners, and communities.
Brownfields & Legacy Sites
Hundreds of thousands of brownfield sites sit idle — former industrial properties that communities cannot safely use without costly professional intervention.
The Access Gap — and How Plants Bridge It
Professional environmental remediation typically costs $50,000–$500,000+ per site. That's not an option for most households or small communities. Meanwhile, the science of phytoremediation — using plants to draw, contain, or break down contaminants — is well-established in peer-reviewed literature, requires minimal equipment, and is genuinely accessible to any committed gardener or community group.
This isn't fringe science. Sunflowers were used after Chernobyl. Alpine pennycress is studied in federally-funded research. The barrier isn't the science — it's access to education and organized community support. That's what we're building.
The Sunflower+ Project
This course grew out of a simple, persistent question: if sunflowers can draw radioactive cesium from water at Chernobyl, what are they doing in ordinary backyard soil? And can we actually measure it affordably, at the community level?
The Sunflower+ Project is a citizen-science and urban agriculture initiative reclaiming a contaminated vacant lot in Old North St. Louis — a collaboration between the Sunflower+ team, the City of St. Louis, the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, and Washington University. David Wechsler (@ElectroGrow) joined as an add-on participant, contributing the electroculture component: testing whether a low-voltage electric field across part of the plot could accelerate sunflower growth and, in turn, lead uptake from the soil.
Early results showed directly-sown seeds under the electric field grew noticeably taller than transplanted seedlings, with a height gradient consistent with the field's attenuation across distance — an encouraging but preliminary signal. Soil testing for actual lead removal wasn't completed in Season 1, and the steel electrodes corroded significantly, pointing to clear next steps for future iterations.
This course teaches the established phytoremediation science behind the broader Sunflower+ Project, and treats the electroculture findings exactly as they are: an early, honest field experiment — not a proven result. You can read the full Season 1 writeup at electricfertilizer.com.
From First Question to Field Practitioner
Whether you're starting with "what's actually in my soil?" or ready to run a multi-season community remediation pilot, there's a clear path forward.
Learn What You're Working With
Understand what contamination looks like in residential and rural settings, how to read public records, and how to get your soil tested without a lab budget.
Choose Your Plants and Start
Select the right phytoremediation species for your contaminants and climate. Plant your first test plot. Start documenting what you observe.
Collect Meaningful Data
Use this course's field observation protocols — inspired by lessons learned on the Sunflower+ Project — to record your results in a format that contributes to community science, not just your own garden journal.
Build or Join a Community Project
Scale up: vacant lot, school garden, community demonstration site. Use the templates to engage stakeholders, apply for grants, and coordinate with neighbors.
Explore the Frontier
Once the foundation is solid, explore the emerging evidence on atmospheric electricity and passive electroculture as potential amplifiers of remediation outcomes.
Seven Modules — Practical, Project-Based, Accessible
Built for non-specialists. Every module connects to something you can do in your garden, neighbourhood, or community.
Understanding Environmental Contamination
What contaminants are, where they come from, how they behave in soil and water systems, and how to find out what might be present in your area. Includes guidance on reading public environmental records and interpreting soil test results.
Phytoremediation Fundamentals
The established science of using plants to extract, contain, degrade, or immobilize contaminants. Covers phytoextraction, phytostabilization, rhizofiltration, and phytodegradation — with real-world case studies from documented field projects.
Plants That Help Clean Soil and Water
A practical guide to the best-documented remediation plants — sunflowers, Indian mustard, alpine pennycress, willow, hemp, vetiver, and more. Learn which plants target which contaminants, how to source them affordably, and how to manage plant waste safely.
Soil Biology and Regenerative Ecology
Healthy soil biology amplifies remediation outcomes. This module covers mycorrhizal networks, bacterial communities, earthworm ecology, and how to build the biological infrastructure that makes remediation plants more effective.
Experimental Electroculture Approaches
An honest, evidence-calibrated look at atmospheric electricity, passive antenna systems, and emerging research on whether electrical stimulation may enhance plant uptake processes. Presented as frontier investigation — not established practice — with emphasis on careful observation and data collection.
Building Community Remediation Gardens
From vacant lot to remediation pilot: project planning, stakeholder engagement, permit considerations, site design, planting schedules, and community documentation. Includes templates for grant applications and community presentations.
Citizen Science and Environmental Monitoring
How to collect, record, and share environmental data meaningfully. Covers low-cost soil and water testing, photographic documentation, data sheet design, and how to connect your project data with broader scientific networks — including the Sunflower+ Project.
Science + Community + Honest Inquiry
Most environmental courses are either academic (inaccessible) or activist (evidence-light). This course takes a third path: rigorous but practical, grounded in documented science, and genuinely curious about emerging approaches.
- Established science first. Phytoremediation has decades of peer-reviewed evidence. This course builds on that foundation before exploring frontier concepts.
- Honest about what we don't know. Electroculture approaches are presented as experimental, not as proven remediation tools. We track the evidence — including null results.
- Affordable first steps. The Starter Pack gives you enough to actually begin this season for $24. No expensive equipment, no lab fees, no contractor required.
- Community-scale thinking. Every template, protocol, and resource is designed for real people — not government budgets or industrial contractors.
- You contribute to the knowledge base. Your field observations become part of a growing community dataset. This is science you participate in, not just consume.
- Safety-first, always. Clear guidance on plant waste disposal, site risk assessment, and when to involve professional environmental consultants.
Start Where You Are
There's no wrong place to begin. Whether you want to follow along for free, take your first concrete action this season, or commit as a founding member — there's a path for you.
Interest List
Follow the project. Get the Quick-Start Guide. No commitment.
- ✓ Free Phytoremediation Quick-Start Guide PDF
- ✓ Course development updates
- ✓ First notice when new resources are published
- ✓ Early access to free educational content
Community Action Starter Pack
Everything you need to plant your first phytoremediation test plot this season.
- ✓ Everything in the Interest List
- ✓ 3 core lessons (Contamination 101, Plant Selection Guide, Starting Your First Observation)
- ✓ Plant Selection Matrix — contaminant-by-contaminant species guide
- ✓ Field observation data sheets (printable + digital)
- ✓ Community forum access — ask questions, share results
- ✓ Credit toward full course if you upgrade later
Pre-sale — delivered when course launches. Full refund if course does not launch.
Founding Member
Full course access, locked-in rate forever, and a direct role in building it.
- ✓ Everything in the Starter Pack
- ✓ Full 7-module course — all updates included
- ✓ All project planning worksheets and grant templates
- ✓ Private founding-member Q&A sessions with David
- ✓ Your field data contributes to a growing community dataset
- ✓ Direct input into curriculum content and case studies
- ✓ Priority access to future field kit pre-orders
- ✓ Name in course acknowledgements (optional)
- ✓ Locked-in rate — never pay full price
Full refund if course does not launch.
Practical Tools for Real Projects
Founding members receive a full toolkit designed for use in the field — not just for reading on a screen.
Project Planning Worksheets
Step-by-step templates for scoping a remediation garden from initial assessment through multi-season planting cycles.
Soil Testing Guide
Which tests matter, what labs to use, how to read results, and what the numbers mean for your remediation choices.
Plant Selection Matrix
Contaminant-by-contaminant guide to the most effective and well-documented phytoremediation species, with sourcing notes.
Citizen Science Data Sheets
Printable and digital field observation forms designed to produce data that can be contributed to the Sunflower+ research network.
Community Project Templates
Grant application language, community presentation slides, stakeholder communication scripts, and permit inquiry letter templates.
Community Forum Access
Starter Pack and Founding members join a community space to share field results, ask questions, and connect with other practitioners.
David Wechsler
@ElectroGrow
David has spent years at the intersection of atmospheric electricity, plant physiology, and ecological restoration — combining independent field experimentation with community science coordination and a close reading of the peer-reviewed literature.
He believes the next generation of environmental restoration won't be led by institutions alone — it will be led by informed communities who've learned to observe carefully, document honestly, and share what they find.
As founder of Energetic Growers Academy, his mission is to make rigorous environmental and electroculture science genuinely accessible — not just to researchers and contractors, but to anyone with soil, curiosity, and motivation to act.
Answered Plainly
I'm not a scientist. Can I really do this?
Yes — this is the point. The course starts from first principles and teaches you exactly what you need to know to take practical action. Thousands of community gardeners, homesteaders, and concerned homeowners are doing phytoremediation-adjacent work already. We're giving you the scientific framework to do it more effectively and to document what you observe.
Does phytoremediation actually work?
For certain contaminants, yes — the scientific literature is clear. Sunflowers accumulating lead and cadmium, alpine pennycress concentrating zinc, willow trees filtering nitrates: these are documented, replicable outcomes. Phytoremediation is not a universal solution and works best as part of a broader strategy. The course makes these distinctions clear and doesn't overstate what plants can do.
What's the difference between the Starter Pack and Founding Member?
The Starter Pack ($24) gives you three core lessons plus the Plant Selection Matrix and data sheets — enough to start your first test plot this season and contribute observations to the Sunflower+ project. Founding Member ($97) gives you the full 7-module course, all templates, Q&A access, and a permanent locked-in rate that's a fraction of the final course price.
I live in a flood-affected area. Is this relevant to me?
Highly. Flooding redistributes industrial pollutants, heavy metals, and agricultural chemicals onto formerly clean ground. Module 1 covers how to understand what flooding may have deposited in your area. Modules 2-3 cover which plants are most effective at stabilizing and removing the most common flood-deposited contaminants. The field data sheets are designed to document conditions over multiple seasons.
Can I use this for a school garden or classroom?
Yes — teachers are among the core audiences we're designing for. Module 6 includes community demonstration garden templates that work well in school settings. The citizen science data collection framework is adaptable as a genuine STEM project. Contact us if you're interested in group or institutional access for your school or district.
Is electroculture a proven remediation technology?
No — and this course does not claim it is. Electroculture is presented as an emerging, experimental area of investigation. Module 5 examines what the research suggests, how to design careful field observations, and how to contribute to the community data record. Claims without evidence are explicitly noted as such.
What equipment do I need to get started?
For the Starter Pack: essentially none beyond what a typical gardener already has. A garden bed or container, a soil test (roughly $20 from a university extension lab), and seed for one of the documented remediation species. The field data sheets can be filled in with a pen. Optional field kits for more advanced monitoring are in development for those who want to go deeper.
What if I'm a community organization or environmental group?
The course is built with community-scale projects in mind. Module 6 covers everything from site selection and stakeholder engagement to grant language and permit considerations. Founding members have direct input into community use case content. Contact us about group access if you're coordinating multiple participants.
When does the course launch?
The course is in active development. Founding members and Starter Pack holders receive updates throughout development and early access to content as it's completed. A target launch window will be announced to registered participants first. All pre-orders are fully refunded if the course does not launch.
What happens to my field data if I participate in citizen science?
Your field data is yours. The course teaches you how to structure and share data voluntarily with broader research networks — including the Sunflower+ Project dataset. Participation in any shared database is always optional and under your control. We'll always be transparent about how shared data is used.
Your Soil. Your Community. Your Science.
Every community has land that needs attention. Every grower has observations worth capturing. You don't need credentials to contribute to something meaningful — you need curiosity, a patch of ground, and the right framework.
- 🌻 Start planting your first test species this season
- 📊 Your observations contribute to a growing shared dataset
- 💬 Connect with other practitioners doing the same work
- 🌍 Help prove that community-scale remediation is real and documentable