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Composting
Routines Work Well for City, Rural Families
By Darci
Clark – For the Sun
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When
most of us think about environmental issues, we think of the
3 ‘R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle. While
this slogan does indeed represent what we are encouraged to
do as responsible consumers, I think average folks often overlook
the most important ‘R’ – rethink. If we are
always mindful of our impact on our environment, then positive
choices and behaviors like the 3 ‘R’s are more likely
to follow.
 This
rethinking can be as simple as seeing household ‘garbage’
as too valuable to throw away, especially when we are also throwing
away the health and opportunities of future generations. Incorporating
daily/weekly/seasonal routines like diverting organic waste
for backyard composting mean little inconvenience for us, but
these behavior changes have a significant ripple effect on our
communities and the larger world around us.
You may be wondering what this kind of philosophical musing
has to do with our project. With this sixth installment of our
friendly eco-challenge – Compost Quest –
we find that establishing sustainable routines has been the
key to our families’ success. Maintaining these routines
has in turn positively framed their continued commitment to
the project and established a more eco-conscious rhythm in their
daily lives.
For readers just joining us, Compost Quest
is our light-hearted local version of Enviro-Survivor where
we check in each month with two Westman families – one
urban and one rural – as they learn how to fit backyard
composting into already busy lives. The idea grew out of a larger
community action project called “Composting 101”
which promotes the economic and environmental benefits of backyard
composting by showing how the average household can make simple
changes of habit that will help reduce pollution and conserve
our scarce landfill space.
 Last
month, it became apparent that there were some differences between
the urban and rural composting experience. Our farm family last
reported some difficulty remembering to divert waste to their
composter as they were already dealing effectively with most
of their kitchen and yard waste as part of regular responsible
farm practices. Right now, their open recycled-pallet bin’s
condition is a bit too wet, with only small evidence of overall
material decay. The kids, as co-managers of this project, realize
that, while composting will still happen naturally without any
concentrated attention, they can make up some lost ground by
turning the pile and adding the plentiful fall leaves, flower
stalks and straw from around their yard. They also plan to save
some of this ‘dry’ material so they have a handy
source of carbon to get next year’s composting off to
a good start. What they have discovered this month is a renewed
commitment to backyard composting as a way to boost Mom’s
flowers and garden next spring. This family has also found that
they are now viewing their yard waste as more of a potential
resource than a nuisance.
Our city household’s nine-year-old continues his role
as the family compost conscience. He doesn’t often catch
his family throwing out stuff that can be composted, but a sticky
note on the garbage can helps remind them if needed. He reports
that they still have the same regular routine of poking holes
for aeration and remembering to balance wet/green and dry/brown
material. He told me it is all working as it doesn’t smell
bad and there was dark crumbly dirt-like stuff (humus) when
they checked the little door at the bottom of their closed plastic
commercial bin. Mom credits their success to making it part
of their daily routine and a reaffirmed awareness that their
actions are also helping the earth.
Stay tuned next month as our families approach the end of this
season and prepare for a good start to the next. To help others
learn how to make backyard composting a routine part of seasonal
landscaping and gardening plans, Composting 101
is hosting upcoming free community workshops on October 9th,
10th and 19th. For more information on workshop registration,
or for copies of previous articles, please call us at 727-5675.
Composting 101 provides presentations, demonstration
workshops and educational material to help make backyard composting
second nature.
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