The Dirt on Composting, Black Gold and so much more…
Meet two amazing eco-warriors,
Jennifer & Renee of Mindful Waste.
Anita: Welcome to our Journal, Renee and Jennifer! I’m so excited to have you ladies here.
There are tons of questions that I would love to ask you both related to food waste, food recovery, recycling, sustainability, and mindful living as I know Mindful Waste is involved in all of these areas.
In honor of April, the Earth Month and the National Composting Awareness Week (May 7th to May 13th this year), I thought it would be perfect to ask you, the experts, a few questions related to composting. Gardening season is right around the corner so we better get to it!
Anita: Can you tell me a bit about how and when this adventure began?
Renee: Sure - we love a trip down memory lane! In 2013-2014, Jennifer and I were on parallel paths as we worked to quantify and reduce the waste in our children’s school cafeterias. Jennifer was completing a masters in Conservation Biology and focused on food waste as her thesis project. I volunteered in my sons’ cafeteria for an unrelated reason, and was appalled that there weren’t better waste sorting procedures in place. Jennifer and I were told we needed to meet, which we finally did in 2014. The rest is history!
Anita: How did you come up with the name Mindful Waste?
Renee: It’s so easy, in today’s fast-paced and convenience-based world, to move through many of our day’s routines without giving them much thought. Taking a mindful approach to just about anything encourages us to connect thought with action, and to revise any processes that aren’t in keeping with our true intentions. It’s unfortunately all too easy to move through our days accumulating waste, and there are many opportunities to throw it “away” as we go. We’re so disconnected from our waste, and from its destination, that we don’t realize the impact we’re having. Mindful Waste encourages us to be mindful of the waste we create, and to reassess habits to find opportunities for reducing our impact.
Anita: What is the driving force behind Mindful Waste? What motivates the two of you?
Jennifer: We’re both motivated by connection and impact. Each and every time we connect with a person who is inspired to make a positive change – whether it’s a child or a 90 year-old – we know we’re on the right path. With the climate in crisis, it’s empowering to do what we can to encourage positive change—especially with (and for) the generations that will inherit the problem.
Anita: I have noticed that you have an entire section dedicated to Mindful Living on your website from Mindful Kitchen, Mindful Waste, Mindful Garden to Mindful Schools and Mindful Communities. In a nutshell, what is Mindful Living in your mind?
Renee: To us, living mindfully means taking the time to step back from our routines and habits and evaluating if they are in accordance with our values. It’s not a one-and-done proposition; it’s a continual process of evaluation and rebalancing—and sometimes, when necessary, of reinvention. Mindful living is striving to live in harmony and balance.
Anita: I know one of the areas that you ladies are super passionate about is composting. So let’s get the dirt on composting. What are some of the most popular composting methods these days? And why?
Renee: Composting is where it’s at! We are firm believers that there’s a method of composting that works for everyone. Hot composting is the preferred method for many—tried and true. Curbside composting is perfect for people or households who prioritize the reduction of food waste, but aren’t able or willing to compost at home. A great many of us fall into this category, which is why it’s so vitally important to lobby for year-round curbside composting in our communities’ waste collection contracts. Then there’s vermicomposting, which we’ll discuss below…and even Bokashi. We love all the methods, and encourage everyone to give one (or two, or three) a try!
Anita: I cannot wait to hear more about vermicomposting, but before we dig deeper into it, one of the terms often used with vermicomposting is black gold. What is black gold?
Jennifer: Black gold can refer to either the nutrient-rich soil created through the composting process, or to worm castings – that’s worm poop to the layperson – which are also chock-full of nutrients and help plants become more pest resistant and drought tolerant.
Anita: Now let’s dive into vermicomposting. What is it and what are its benefits?
Jennifer: Vermicomposting harnesses the amazing ability of worms to ingest food scraps and, through their digestive process, create nutrient-rich castings. The benefits are the relative ease of this composting method – worm bins can be kept in the house year-round – and the fact that you get to observe this amazing decomposer community at work. The biggest benefit for gardeners is the truly incredible product of the vermicomposting process: worm castings.
Both plants were planted at the same time. Worm castings were added to the plant on the left but not to the soil in the plant pot on the right.
Anita: Another common type of composting is hot composting. What is really hot composting and what are its benefits?
Jennifer: Hot composting is brilliant, as it is simply using human effort to speed up nature’s decomposition process. It’s a layering of carbon and nitrogen sources, with added moisture. It results in beautiful, nutrient-rich soil that can then be used in garden or landscape beds. Full circle! The benefits are that it’s right in your yard, can handle a large quantity of scraps, and you get to utilize the resulting compost.
Anita: If someone would like to start composting at home, what are some of the basics of composting 101?
Renee: The best place to start is by assessing your needs. What volume of food scraps do you generate? Do you have a place to compost at home? Do you want to compost inside or outside? If the answer is neither, do you have access to curbside composting, or to a community drop-off site? Slowly but surely, composting is becoming more accessible.
Anita: I noticed that on your website you include Troubleshooting guides for both vermicomposting and hot composting. So just high level, what are some of the DON’T-s of hot composting and vermicomposting?
Jennifer: Well, hot compost needs to be kept in balance to “cook” at the right temperatures. It’s all in the mix – nitrogen or “green” sources, carbon or “brown” sources, and water. There’s a fine balance between over-attending a pile and neglecting it. Vermicomposting has its own learning curve, but the most common mistake is overfeeding. The worms will tell you when they’re ready for more food (hint: it’s when they’ve finished what’s in the bin).
Anita: Over the course of the last decade (nearly!), what is the biggest lesson that you ladies learned running Mindful Waste?
Renee: Hmm, that’s a tough one – we’ve learned a lot! I would say we’ve learned the value of collaboration. We’re a tiny nonprofit – just the two of us, with a wonderful team of volunteers who are committed to our mission – and collaboration enables us to extend our reach in ways that would be impossible for us to do on our own.
Anita: What’s next for Mindful Waste?
Renee: We’re thrilled to be preparing to host classes at our Wormery and Soil Education Center in Lake Barrington this summer. We’ll start with elementary-age students and work our way up to future composters of all ages. We find that we learn as much as we teach, and we’re grateful for the ongoing growth opportunities!
We’ll also be hosting our annual worm casting sale on May 6, which we affectionately call our Worm Poo Drive-Through, and teaching classes throughout the suburbs. For local Rodina friends, we’ll be at the Barrington Area Library on May 9 teaching a composting class in honor of International Composting Awareness Week (May 7-13). Those who are interested can follow our social media for event updates and lots of worm love.
Thanks for the opportunity to “talk” with you and your clients on the Rodina blog. We love that you empower your customers to live mindfully!
Anita: I cannot wait to visit Mindful Waste’s Wormery & Soil Education Center sometime this summer.
Thank you both for your time today and all the amazing work you have been doing, especially related to educating our future generations about mindful living, sustainability, food recovery and composting in our local community.
Congratulations on your almost 10 years!
Spring into this year’s gardening season with nourished & happy hands.
Let’s remember to be kind to our Mother Earth, today and every day!
Until next time,
Anita
LESS IS MORE!,
in product ingredients +
application.
Anita is a founder and owner of Rodina Botanicals. Rodina Botanicals is a maker of small-batch, clean skincare products for an entire family.
We at Rodina Botanicals:
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