Sally Brown is focused on identifying resources in wastes—turning discards from homes into a tool for sustainability. She has worked on studies involving soil health, climate change mitigation, biosolids recycling and wastewater treatment. At the root of her work, she believes that soil amendments, in the form of residuals from different industries (composts, for example), offer the potential to help us to live in a more sustainable manner. Her goal is to turn cities green by making the use and re-use of wastes part of our daily vocabulary. She has received a number of awards for her work, including the Rufus Chaney Research Award from the U.S. Composting Council, special recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Green Globe Award for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship. She is a Fellow in the Soil Science Society of America and was a member of the National Academy of Science Committee on Soil Science.