Dianna Ferrell

(Repost-)
I have never tried composting before, and I am a gardener, therefore I feel this is the perfect Eco-Challenge for me to start with this week's topic of waste! Composting connects to our class content for this week because we watched videos on how to be resourceful and reduce waste. Being resourceful means using what we already own to create something sustainable and useful for both our health and the environment. Reducing waste refers to limiting the number of items that make it to the landfill. By practicing composting I am reducing my food waste, reducing the number of scraps that go to the landfill, and being resourceful by turning my food waste into a soil-mixture that will benefit my already established garden beds in the backyard by providing an eco-friendly fertilizer.

The two challenges I faced with this Eco-Challenge were that I did not own a compost bin and I was unaware of what items can be composted. The first resource I looked over was How to Compost (https://www.wikihow.com/Compost) which talks about having a bin under the kitchen sink. Our sink cabinet is currently full and being used for storage, but I plan on investigating where I can put a bin near the kitchen (I will check-in later for an update on this!). Since the goal is to be sustainable and I do not currently own a compost bin I felt the best way to overcome the challenge of not having a compost bin is to make do with a make-shift bin. Eco-Challenge provided this helpful resource called Composting Is Way Easier Than You Think (https://www.nrdc.org/stories/composting-way-easier-you-think). In this article it is talked about how a compost bin does not have to be perfect and we can use anything that has a lid and is accessible for when I move the compost around with a shovel. My Dad located an old cooler in the shed that we do not use anymore that happens to have a handle and a lid- perfect!

To solve the lack of understanding what can be compostable I found Composting is Way Easier Than You Think resources from Eco-Challenge to be the most useful. This link contains a diagram of compostable items and scraps that are not. Some of the items listed in the diagram that I added into my compost bin are fruit scraps (apple core, banana peels and grape stems) and loose tea bags. The article also mentioned napkins could be compostable which I added into the bin, however the usage of napkins was not included in the diagram and only written out in the article. I briefly cleaned up the cooler and carefully picked out all the compostable items from our kitchen garbage can to begin the compost process. I feel satisfied with my simple set up as I used an item for a bin that I already owned, I rescued food scraps from the garbage can and I have set a realistic goal for myself to continue composting even bast this Eco-Challenge post. Composting will also greatly benefit my love of gardening by providing healthy sustainable soil like mixture to incorporate into my soil. How to Compost mentioned a helpful tip I learned which is to spray compost to help keep it moist throughout the process. Eventually I will invest in something better to put the compost in, but for now I am working with what we to begin this Eco-Challenge.

I have never tried composting before, and I am a gardener, therefore I feel this is the perfect Eco-Challenge for me to start with this week's topic of waste! Composting connects to our class content for this week because we watched videos on how to be resourceful and reduce waste. Being resourceful means using what we already own to create something sustainable and useful for both our health and the environment. Reducing waste refers to limiting the number of items that make it to the landfill. By practicing composting I am reducing my food waste, reducing the number of scraps that go to the landfill, and being resourceful by turning my food waste into a soil-mixture that will benefit my already established garden beds in the backyard by providing an eco-friendly fertilizer.

The two challenges I faced with this Eco-Challenge were that I did not own a compost bin and I was unaware of what items can be composted. The first resource I looked over was How to Compost (https://www.wikihow.com/Compost) which talks about having a bin under the kitchen sink. Our sink cabinet is currently full and being used for storage, but I plan on investigating where I can put a bin near the kitchen (I will check-in later for an update on this!). Since the goal is to be sustainable and I do not currently own a compost bin I felt the best way to overcome the challenge of not having a compost bin is to make do with a make-shift bin. Eco-Challenge provided this helpful resource called Composting Is Way Easier Than You Think (https://www.nrdc.org/stories/composting-way-easier-you-think). In this article it is talked about how a compost bin does not have to be perfect and we can use anything that has a lid and is accessible for when I move the compost around with a shovel. My Dad located an old cooler in the shed that we do not use anymore that happens to have a handle and a lid- perfect!

To solve the lack of understanding what can be compostable I found Composting is Way Easier Than You Think resources from Eco-Challenge to be the most useful. This link contains a diagram of compostable items and scraps that are not. Some of the items listed in the diagram that I added into my compost bin are fruit scraps (apple core, banana peels and grape stems) and loose tea bags. The article also mentioned napkins could be compostable which I added into the bin, however the usage of napkins was not included in the diagram and only written out in the article. I briefly cleaned up the cooler and carefully picked out all the compostable items from our kitchen garbage can to begin the compost process. I feel satisfied with my simple set up as I used an item for a bin that I already owned, I rescued food scraps from the garbage can and I have set a realistic goal for myself to continue composting even bast this Eco-Challenge post. Composting will also greatly benefit my love of gardening by providing healthy sustainable soil like mixture to incorporate into my soil. How to Compost mentioned a helpful tip I learned which is to spray the compost to help keep it moist throughout the process. Eventually I will invest in something better to put the compost in, but for now I am working with what we have to begin this Eco-Challenge.