Composting Carnivale

On a recent trip to Davis, CA, a bike-friendly haven just west of Sacramento, I met some very interesting co-eds. A friend, who is doing her post-doc in neuroscience at UC Davis, offered to show me around the campus (on a bike of course).

If there's a way to look cool on a bike, I have yet to find it.

What I found were inspiring microcosms; small, student-run organizations that have formed communities, which work together to effect real change in the world. Rather than just complain about waste and inefficiency, they are changing their lifestyles. I'm certainly down with that.

The first little stop on our bike trek was what I will call composting central; it was located at the back of a few of the houses where members of The Co-op live. In their own words, The Co-ops are "an ecologically-conscious culturally diverse student community dedicated to alternative living. We power our homes with solar energy, we grow some food organically, and love to compost and recycle."

No more guilt over scrapping your broccoli

What's more, some of these students run Project Compost, which is a student-run and funded initiative that both educates the university population about compost through free composting workshops, and picks up over 1000 pounds of food refuse daily from all over campus.

Sign Reads: "Crank Lever to Mix Content"
Leigh: A+ (Nice Form!) Steve: F (At least hold the sign!)

True to their mission, the composting area was both educational and functional. It had several different types of bins along with explanations about how each system worked. Some required sifting, rotating racks, or spinning, and we were happy to get down and dirty with them all.

"Behold, the composting power of worms!"


"Holy Hell, that is a stinky business!"

Where does all of this nutrient-rich (and alarmingly bug-infested) compost go? Right next door - to The Co-ops bountiful organic gardens.

So if these college students can pull this off, why can't those of us with a college diploma do the same thing? And most importantly, why are so many of us still dumping biodegradable matter into the landfill where it creates methane emissions (yes, that's one of the types of gases that causes global warming).

Lastly, with the cost of food ever on the rise, why not start growing a little bit of your own? For more info on the UC Davis composting program, visit the website. If you are a college student, look around at how much food waste is being generated each day - I guarantee you will be horrified - and then consider starting one of these projects at your school. I'm sure the UC Davis crew would be happy to offer some pointers. They do attend an agricultural school after all, and these students obviously have been staying awake in class.

Compost - It is Berry Easy....

Especially if you live in San Francisco. I recently spent a week Northern California visiting friends, exploring the the possibility of a relocation to the west coast, and enjoying all that a city with a major commitment to the environment has to offer. San Francisco, the first city to ban plastic bags, is also leading the way in recycling organic materials.

Now back to that rotten pun. It is one of the many ads I saw on buses and signs throughout the city promoting SF's compost pick-up program. Along with recycling and trash, residents also leave out their organic waste (food scraps, food soiled paper, and plants) for the city to collect and compost back into nutrient-rich soil, which comes full circle, as it is used to grow organic food and wine.

Soon to be your next glass of Cab

You may remember the blog I wrote a few weeks ago about an innovative indoor composter and the harmful methane emissions produced when organic materials fester in landfills, so you can imagine how excited I was to learn about San Francisco's compost program. You can read more about their composting and environmental programs at the city's environmental website, and you can read about how the the recycling and composting works here. See an example of their many informative videos below.

Some people explain why your rotten stuff is good food for the soil.

If you don't live in a city that offers extensive recycling and composting options, get in touch with your local elected officials and encourage them to take action. Use San Francisco's example to encourage them to enact similar policies. Lastly, don't forget to spread the message by impressing your friends with your new and catchy composting puns. It's easier than you stink.

Lose More Waste Fast!

According to 41pounds, "By reducing your junk mail for 5 years, you’ll conserve 1.7 trees and 700 gallons of water, and prevent 460 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere."

Clearly, your personal reduction can really add up. Right now, in order to produce America's unwanted mail, over 100 million trees are churned into junk mail annually, and 28 million gallons of water are needed to produce the 4.5 million tons of unwanted catalogs, magazines, and solicitation mailings that we all find in our mailboxes. After all of this, 44% of this mail is thrown away, unopened.

Fortunately, there are several easy ways to get yourself removed from the junk mail lists and prevent these wasteful mailings from ever being created with your name on them.

If you are a do it yourself-er, you can opt out of the mailing lists maintained by credit reporting agencies, which are in turn sold to credit card and insurance companies for mass solicitation. Just call the agencies' opt out number at 888-5-OPTOUT. You can also eliminate many of the unwanted solicitation letters and catalogs by following the steps outlined in Eco-Cycle's Stop the Junk Mail Monster guide.

There are also several companies ready to help rid you of 90 -95% of your junk mail both easily and inexpensively:

Greendimes.com is a service that costs $20; however, the company plants 5 trees when you initially sign up ,as well as one tree for each catalog you opt out of receiving.

41pounds.org is run by a nonprofit organization that gives 1/3 of the $41 junk mail reduction fee to a charity of your choice.

Stopthejunkmail.com allows you to opt out of receiving catalogs, magazines, book clubs, and nonprofits for $19.95 a year.

Catalogchoice.org is a project of the Ecology Center, and their service, which allows you to opt out of receiving catalogs, and their service is free!

Also, don't forget that most of your bank statements, investment reports, and bills can all be paid online. Contact your companies and ask for paperless statements. Let's be frank - the only mail we want to find in our box is a new movie to watch anyway, so make it happen and save some precious resources at the same time!

Lose Waste Fast!

Food takes the full circle with no pollution or waste

Now at first blush, this may not sound like the most appealing project on which to embark. However, if you are like me, much of your daily trash is vegetables, egg shells, or coffee grounds, all of which goes into a landfill. According to the EPA, food waste is the #1 least recycled material, and the Earth is running out of landfill space.

Now I realize that I may sound like an infomercial, but I have been searching for a good indoor composter for a long time. I live in New York, and the usual compost pile that we had during my days in Vermont would definitely not be welcome (with regard to either square footage or smell) in my apartment.

So hooray for the NatureMill, a composter that can be used indoors or out, and you can add up to 120 pounds a month of organic waste - vegetables, coffee grounds, dairy, meat or fish. The upper tray provides the necessary environment for composting - cultures which consume the waste products, heat, moisture, and air flow. Every two weeks or so, a light goes on in the lower tray to let you know that your new compost is ready!


Stage 1 in the dirt making process

If you still need convincing, consider the tons of organic waste presently residing in landfills and producing greenhouse gas emissions as it decomposes. This harmful methane emission, which is much more potent than carbon dioxide, is a byproduct of organic matter decomposition in oxygen starved landfills. By composting you are also closing the loop, as no fossil fuels are needed to transport your dirt into your garden or potted plants.

So help keep the Earth clean, and make your own dirt!