Compost for the Community

The first step is to obtain approval from the administration, which is only possible if the materials can be obtained without dipping into the school budget. This requires submitting a proposal and speaking directly with principals and school board members. Secondly, a group of teachers and I will locate the materials required to initiate this project, and cooperate with school custodians to arrange daily set-up and clean-up procedures. We must decide between one, two, or three bin systems, choose an aerator system and whether or not to use earthworm composting. I expect there to be technical difficulties in setting up the bins, and establishing an arrangement for them to be available to students at lunchtime, without causing any sanitation problems. Lastly, we (high school environmental club and class students) must advertise and educate students about how compost works and why everyone should participate, and reach out to local agricultural workers. Before installing the compost system throughout the lower middle schools, the environmental club will work to create videos and bring in high school speakers to teach classes about the composting process. Following up on this, students will get a chance to see the process in effect and learn what the compost is used for.