Even for those of us who care about the environment, composting may seem like a big step: it smells, it produces weird sludge, it takes time and muscles to stir. Hopefully this next post, part of our our series on efforts Campus Kitchens are making to be more sustainable, will make it all seem a bit more do-able.

1. There are universities all over the United States and Canada that are starting their own composting programs; some, like Augsburg College, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Vermont, also have Campus Kitchens.  Lafayette College even made it part of a interdisciplinary program that engaged multiple departments, plus interns and volunteers.

2. Whether or not your college or university has a campus-wide program, Campus Kitchens can compost! Creative students at McGill University in Toronto developed their own volunteer program called Gorilla Composting, where they collect and redistribute waste from Dining Services. AT CKWLU, they do the composting themselves, then give their finished compost to the campus program that will find it a home in the ground. If you can, like CKWLU, make finished compost, you can donate it to a community garden or perhaps your local farmer’s markets collect compost?

3. For indoor composting, Vermiculture, or composting with worms, is always an option. Jenny Sproul, coordinator at CKWLU, said they investigated the option, but they didn’t have a suitable location. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even make your own vermicomposter.

4. Cooperative extension programs can help get you started or give you advice about your composting program. Check out the composting resources provided by the extension at Cornell University and check out this link to find one near you.

5. On Kangaroo Island in South Australia there’s a bird called the brush turkey that builds her own compost piles to keep her nest warm. According to the Weird and Unusual Composting section on Cornell’s extension site:

The heat produced by the microbial decay maintains the eggs at about 33C (92 degrees F), 15 degrees C warmer than the ambient air temperature. Initially the adult birds tend the composting nest, occasionally mixing and either adding or removing vegetation as needed to regulate the temperature, which they sense through their bills. After this initial adjustment, the nests require little attention, and larger ones can stay warm for several weeks without tending.

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