Love Your Dirt

One of my favorite ways to reduce waste is to compost! Not only is it easy to do, it's also fun to educate others about. I've grown up composting at home from as early as I can remember, it didn't seem strange or difficult to do. But when I got to college things were different...apparently not everyone composts or even know what it is. For all the compost newbies out there, a typical at home compost takes organic material like your greens (fruits and veggies, any food really that is not meat, fish or dairy and no preservatives or non-natural ingredients in it) and your browns (leaves and plant material, clean cardboard). The more fancy ones (typically biodigesters that some Universities and public buildings have) can take nearly any type of food substance.

I've advocated for three of my years on my college campus, UW-Green Bay or 'EcoU', to invest in a composting system. I'm proud to say it's in the final stages of coming to my Alma mater.  I feel every student should lobby to get one on their college campus. Every employee should lobby to get this at their place of work. And everyone should do this at home. Like I said, it's so easy! You just need a closed lid bucket or container and either a large composting vessel in your backyard or take it to your local waste collecting facility if they accept it. From there educate yourself. Look up online what you can and cannot compost, anything that naturally biodegrades with no preservatives or chemicals in it, will more than likely be 100% compostable.

So why compost? The purpose is to reduce the waste that goes to landfills and creates carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, for our large scale benefit, and more personally, enhances your garden's soil. Composting is being kind to the Earth and a simple way to be more eco-friendly.