Composting for the climate - by Eliza Hensel

For my final project, I wrote an opinion piece about food waste to be published on the EC Current's website. My goal with this opinion piece was to persuade more people to compost, while educating the public on the negative climate effects of food waste. I also used this as an opportunity to introduce my new business venture, Blue Bucket Compost, to the public.  In this opinion piece, I wrote about how the issue of food waste rotting in landfills is a huge contributor to global methane emissions. Methane negatively affects the climate because it is a very harmful greenhouse gas that increases global atmospheric temperatures. The USDA estimates that roughly one third of all food produced goes to waste, rotting in landfills. This is backed by the EPA who states that landfills are a large producer of global methane emissions

The more food rotting away, the more methane is being released into our atmosphere. In this article I put the methods learned in Stoknes book into practice and tried to make science digestible. By suggesting composting as an actionable step people can take in helping the climate recover, it presents the science as something approachable. Bringing about awareness of the harmful side effects of food waste in landfills is a crucial step towards giving people real and doable steps towards helping the climate. As Stoknes mentioned in his book, framing your message through actionable steps can greatly increase the likelihood that people will actually take action, rather than be stressed into inaction. This is why I also mention in this article that the city of San Francisco is already making huge changes through their composting program, further showing people that the eco-conscious movement is already  gaining momentum and programs for city-wide composting are possible. 

The second half of my article went over the services Blue Bucket Compost will offer and how it will serve the community. Blue Bucket is the brainchild of the three years of my experience as a compost manager of the Eckerd College Community Farm compost program. It will be based off of our campus wide program, where we have a facility of over 20 active compost bins with pick up sites all around campus at residence halls, offices, and dining halls. 

I want to help the residents of St. Petersburg make composting a regular part of their lives. I plan to launch this business in the fall of 2022 here in South Saint Petersburg, starting local and hoping to grow to serve more neighborhoods in the area. Blue Bucket Compost will offer the following services: 

        - Selling bulk compost to local farms, gardens and residents 
        - Classes on composting methods
        - Subscription service of weekly food waste pick-ups with monthly compost drop-offs
        - Private consultations to help individuals set up at-home compost bins 
        - Restaurant food waste pick-up

If you are interested in Blue Buckets services or want to learn more about composting, please email emhensel@ekerd.edu with the subject "Blue Bucket". 

Sources: 

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#methane

https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane#:~:text=Methane%20is%20also%20a%20greenhouse,%2Dinfluenced)%20and%20natural%20sources.

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2022/01/24/food-waste-and-its-links-greenhouse-gases-and-climate-change

Stoknes, P. E. (2015). What we think about when we try not to think about global warming: Toward a new psychology of climate action. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

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