#MaineDEP #Sustainability program - #HomeComposting

"What is composting?

Compost is a dark brown, earthy, crumbly material made of decomposed organic matter.

Benefits of Composted Material

When added to soil, compost improves soil porosity and water retention, and provides plants with essential nutrients.

Composting diverts organic materials from the waste stream and our landfills!

How does Material Decompose? Millions of microorganisms work to break down organic material. We can speed up composting by managing the process.
How do I start a compost pile?

Start by picking a location. Look for an area that is:

- Well -drained and close to level
- In partial shade, to help with water retention
- At least 1 -foot away from walls, fences, bushes, trees etc.
- A convenient spot to place materials and to get the end product to its final location

What tools will I need?

These tools may help get you started:

- Compost bin
- Pitchfork (compost turner)
- Chipper/shredder
- Wheelbarrow (for transport)
- Garden hose
- 4’ X 12’ Sturdy coated wire mesh (to form cylinder to contain compost pile, if desired)"

Learn more:
https://www.maine.gov/dep/sustainability/compost/home-composting.html

#SolarPunkSunday #Composting #Compost #HomeCompost #SoilIsLife #ReduceFoodWaste

Ooooh...! Lots of recipes to try out here! (I may have to post some individual ones on future SolarPunkSundays!) Recipes include #ThaiCurry and Fridge-Cleanout #Okonomiyaki !

Food Waste Feast - Recipes and tips for a #ZeroWaste kitchen!

https://foodwastefeast.com/recipes/

#SolarPunkSunday #FoodWasteRecipes
#ReduceWaste #ReduceFoodWaste
#FoodWaste #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteRecipes #FoodScraps

Recipes include making #CornStock out of corn cobs (something the #SiouxChef #SeanSherman talks about as well)!

26 Recipes to Use Up #FoodScraps

"Waste not want not" never tasted so good!

By Cathy Jacobs
Updated on 02/14/25

https://www.thespruceeats.com/recipes-to-use-up-food-scraps-5179510

#SolarPunkSunday #FoodWasteRecipes
#ReduceWaste #ReduceFoodWaste
#FoodWaste #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteRecipes #FoodScraps

Food scraps may not be good for birds (though the local corvids would disagree with that), here are some recipes for humans that involve food scraps! (And I intend to try making banana bread using banana peels!)

19 Recipes That Use Food Scraps To Make the Most of Your Ingredients

March 26, 2024

"Our Best Ideas for Repurposing Food Scraps

It never feels good to throw food away. Whether you're tossing scraps from a batch of mashed potatoes or peels from bananas Foster, it’s always a win to stretch those pennies just a little bit further. It might come as a surprise to find all the ways that you can use odd bits of waste, from ingenious appetizers to creative sauces and sides. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite tricks for using various scraps headed to the compost bin so you can perform feats of culinary magic and save a buck, too. For example, many people toss the tough broccoli stems in favor of the dark green crowns, but the stems have a lot of flavor and a great texture if prepared right. Peel away the hardy exterior and include them in a creamy, cheesy potato gratin."

Learn more:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/recipes-that-use-food-scraps

#SolarPunkSunday #FoodWasteRecipes #ReduceWaste #ReduceFoodWaste #FoodWaste #ZeroWaste #ZeroWasteRecipes #FoodScraps

I'm almost done my masters so that means I will soon be able to publicly post all of the parts to my thesis on my website. Just because I'm thinking about going private industry for a few years, that doesn't mean my work on food waste and retail grocery supply chain efficiency is going to stop.

#BusinessAcademic #FoodWaste #ReduceFoodWaste #SupplyChainManagement #Groceries #QueeringAcademia

I'm working 7am - 3pm today.
I'll be attending an Autumn soup stock making workshop, with two galpals, this evening.
We will be making a delicious soup stock with rescued vegetable parts.

#SoupMaking #SoupSeason #SoupStock #ZeroWaste #Cooking #ReduceFoodWaste #FoodSecurity #SaveMoney #FrugalLiving

#LifecyclesProjectSociety #FruitTreeProject Update.

This year, we have harvested over 63,000 lbs of fruit! Of that, almost 32,000 lbs of Grade A fruit has been donated to the community, to over 70 community service agencies throughout the Greater Victoria Area. Our tree stewards have kept 4,500 lbs, and our amazing team of 191 Harvest Leads and Pickers have taken 13,000 lbs home. 

What about the other 13,500 lbs you ask? 

Made up of B-Grade, we have processed just over 7500 lbs into juice and jam. Some of the fruit is always C-Grade (compost). To date, we have composted just under 6000 lbs of fruit - while some of this has gone to our friends at Community Composting, the vast majority has gone to a local pig farmer.

We are proud to say no fruit has gone into the landfill!

https://lifecyclesproject.ca

#LifecyclesProject #FoodSystems #Nonprofit #FoodSecurity #fruitTrees #Saanich #VictoriaBC #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #CommunitySharing #CommunityBuilding #Volunteers #FoodSharing #Teamwork #Gleaning #ViewRoyal #VolunteerWithLifecycles #FoodEquity #CultivatingCommunities #ZeroWaste #ReduceFoodWaste #fruit #CommunityWork #harvest

We donated a bucket of apple mash to our local #nonprofit friends at Victoria #Compost #Education Centre 💗
Their compost worms will love it!

https://compost.bc.ca/

#SoilGuardians #FoodSecurity #VictoriaBC #CommunityBuilding #CommunitySharing #ReduceFoodWaste #SustainableSoil #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #PNW #CommunityPartners

On Thursday 25th, year 8 are doing a brand new food waste experiment with several different activities - including banana skin bacon!!

#foodwasteexperiment #recyclingfood #FoodWasteRecycling #sustainability #foodwasteawareness #reducefoodwaste #wasteless #loveyourleftovers #sustainablefood #LearnTodayLeadTomorrow