Moving to Boston provoked several urban lifestyle wake-up-calls, many of them relating to city residents’ relationship to food and waste. Many of my comments drew quizzical looks.
In line at dining hall brunch:
Classmate: “Why don’t you want a bunch of these HUGE strawberries?!”
Me: “They’re not in season, it’s January. I don’t know, I’d rather eat citrus because this is the time of year it’s really good.”
Classmate: “?!? Ok, more for me!”
At a department event with free food:
Me: “Where do we put the vegetables we’re not going to eat?”
Professor: “Uh, in the trash?”
After living here for almost six years, I now see why it is so hard to be aware of seasonality or waste reduction options when living in an urban community. It takes much more effort and desire, and many people choose to focus their efforts elsewhere. In the past several years I’ve happily noticed increased interest in compost, farmer’s markets, in-season local food, and back yard/porch gardening. Things are really changing.
There certainly are legitimate reasons that composting, eating in-season local food, and urban gardening are challenging and even harmful to one’s heath. Toxic soils, rats, and high initial costs can give such pursuits a bad name if done without some research and strategy. This is why I am so excited to be able to offer “Urban Composting Workshops” – both in-person, as a representative of Groundwork Somerville at the Somerville Community Growing Center, and in webinar format as a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leaders Program.
Join me in person or online to learn about how to deter pests and rodents, eliminate odors, and turn waste to compost as fast as possible. These issues are common in urban settings and often give composting a bad name – don’t let this happen to you and your neighbors!! Maintaining a healthy compost bin reduces waste (and smelly trash cans) and improves soil quality. Done right, you can inspire others to compost in their backyards. Even with limited space or no backyard, there are options for you too. Join me!
- Urban Composting Webinar, Thursday June 16th, 12:00pm eastern: Learn More or Sign Up!
- Urban Composting Workshop, Saturday June 25th, 12:00pm: At the Somerville Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave.
Growing Stories 
2 replies on “Urban Composting”
Could I ask some advice in advance of the webinars? I am in desperate need of brown stuff to keep my compost from turning into a stinky mess. I don’t want to wait till fall to rake up the dead leaves! Can you tell me some good options?
Julia, newspaper, straw, or bedding material for hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. can provide city folks with brown material when our stores of fall leaves are used up. Check to make sure the material is untreated and unbleached. Newspapers usually use soy-based ink, but you can check by calling them.