Environmental Education
For Jacobsville is dedicated to protecting our community from exposure to lead and other heavy metals present in the soil as well as in paint within and outside homes. Read below to learn more about what is being done to protect our kids and families as well as what you can do today to promote a healthier and happier neighborhood.
Our Ground, Our Future: The Story of Jacobsville’s Soil
For generations, the Jacobsville community in Evansville served as a powerful engine of local industry. Beginning in the late 1880s, bustling foundries, plow works, and manufacturing plants drove our economy forward, but they also left behind a lasting, invisible footprint. Decades of industrial emissions inadvertently deposited high concentrations of heavy metals—specifically lead and arsenic—directly into the neighborhood's residential soil. While federal cleanup efforts have made incredible strides since the area was designated an EPA Superfund site in 2004, true community healing requires more than just environmental remediation.
We are dedicated to turning historical awareness into modern action. Our mission is to educate and empower Jacobsville residents with the knowledge, tools, and resources necessary to actively promote environmental health and wellness, ensuring our neighborhood remains a safe, vibrant, and resilient place for families to grow and thrive.
Community Partners in action
Many hands make safe soil! pictured above, you can see our dedicated community partners are working side-by-side to spread fresh mulch over bare earth. Covering exposed ground is one of the simplest and most effective ways to create a protective barrier, preventing contaminated dust from kicking up and reducing the risk of lead exposure for local families.
If you want to learn more about how strategic mulching fits into the EPA’s lead remediation efforts—or how you can secure materials for your own yard—we are here to help. Reach out to our team directly on our contact us page to get started!
Get involved!
To explore the official guidelines and science behind keeping our neighborhood safe, click the button below. This link will take you directly to the EPA website, where you can find comprehensive resources, deep-dives into lead remediation strategies, and federal safety standards.
If you would like to volunteer with us to protect our neighborhood, click below to get started with our community parter, Dream Center Evansville.