In Between Futures

S2E3 - How Could We? Tackle soil pollution through nature-based solutions

In Between Futures

Show Notes

Welcome to the final episode of Season 2 of How Could We?, a podcast by Climate KIC where we explore how to build a beautiful, just and climate-resilient future. This season, we’re exploring how architecture, design, innovation, science, and art can help build sustainable solutions to the climate emergency. We talk to people across Europe who work on the New European Bauhaus, a creative and interdisciplinary initiative that encourages us to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future. In this episode, we talk to Mathilde Rubinstein, Deputy Director of La Citadelle de Marseille. Since December 2021, her association is managing the Fort d’Entrecasteaux, a historical monument that used to be owned by the military. Their initial goal was to use this land in the city center to create an urban garden and open it to all citizens. However, a simple soil analysis found a substantial amount of pollution left over from military use as well as citizen use (think fireworks!). Their project suddenly took a completely different turn - how could they communicate about this pollution without alarming the neighbourhood? And would they still be able to open the space to the public? Through their project REMEDSPACE, Mathilde and her colleagues created workshops and discussions with a variety of stakeholders, from local governments to researchers and citizens, to talk about the situation and co-create the future of the space together. They even invited a ceramic artist, Louise Nicollon des Abbayes, who led workshops answering questions like: How can we capture the memory of a site, how can we represent the landscape, what is heritage? REMEDSPACE is one of the fourteen projects that were selected as part of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus initiative. This episode was presented by Anne-Sophie Garrigou and produced by Bárbara Mendes-Jorge. Climate-KIC⁠ is Europe’s leading climate innovation initiative, aiming to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon, climate-resilient society by supporting innovative solutions helping society mitigate and adapt to climate change. We want to hear from you! Share what inspires you and what you’re doing in your community to enact change by sending us an email to [email protected]. Visit our website – www.climate-kic.org

More from In Between Futures

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Oct 5, 2026

Welcome to In Between Futures, a podcast from Climate KIC. Hosts Seth Armstrong Twigg and Christa Beck speak with the leaders, innovators and system builders shaping a just, climate-resilient future, from cities and industry to finance and food.

Sep 30, 2026

After a long stretch of silence, we’re back with a new name, new hosts and a new direction.Welcome to In Between Futures, a podcast from Climate KIC about the people turning possible futures into real ones.Seth Armstrong Twigg and Christa Beck will speak with the people transforming the systems that shape our lives — from cities and industry to finance and food. We’ll ask what’s working, what’s getting in the way, and what it takes to create a just, climate-resilient and beautiful future for all.

Nov 11, 2025

In this season of the podcast, we’re asking: How Could We? Transform our food systems so they nourish people and regenerate our planetary systems.Host Anne-Sophie Garrigou is joined this week by farmer Sheila Darmos from the southern Peloponnese in Greece. Sheila inherited one of Greece's first organic farms - The Southern Lights Farm - and completely reinvented it.Anne-Sophie is also joined on this episode by Climate KIC’s Laurène Lebelt, who is working on HarvRESt, an EU-funded project testing ways to integrate renewable energy sources into farms.In this episode, Sheila talks about why she returned to Greece after many years away, how her farm helps tackle ‘ecological and social desertification’ occurring across the Mediterranean, how her farm performs is also an educational site offering community living and why she was keen to create networks connecting regenerative farmers across Greece and Europe.Laurène outlines what integrated landscape management means, how solar panels, wind turbines, or biogas systems can reshape farming landscapes, diversify farmer incomes, and connect food production with energy transition as well as the importance of bringing diverse stakeholders together, such as farmers, conservationists, energy developers, government and community members.—This episode was presented and produced by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Anne-Sophie Garrigou⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and co-produced by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bárbara Mendes-Jorge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Climate KIC is Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community. We are here to help create climate-resilient societies and fight the climate breakdown, building better futures for local communities, globally. Check out our website and follow us on LinkedIn. You can also see how we are supporting farmers’ food futures, find out how to attend the 3rd European Carbon Farming Summit - taking place in Padua, Italy from 17-19 March 2026 - and check out our Green Horizons network dedicated to sustainable agriculture and knowledge exchange.

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