The Climate Reality Project

We’ve all heard about how much transportation and electricity increase our carbon footprint, but there is one topic that has not had as much attention: and that is composting! So in the interest of mitigating climate change, let’s bring awareness to this easy and under-utilized method of dealing with organic waste. The total number of pounds of CO2 removed from composting may not seem like much, but like so many other things, if we all do it - it can really add up. The amount of greenhouse gas sequestered through composting is larger than what most of us realize.

Many people think that composting is just for gardeners. Not so! Anyone who cooks or has even the smallest amount of yard or lawn can compost. While taking on something new in our daily lives is always a challenge, this is one thing that really needs to be at the top of the list for everyone concerned about global warming and the health of the planet in general.

The benefits of compost are many and well known, but the mitigating effects for the climate crisis are underestimated. Composting can reduce green house gases in the following ways:

Reduces landfill methane generation
Reduces use of N20 fertilizers and energy intensive pesticides.
Sequesters carbon in soil.
Improves soil health, mitigates damage to soil caused by climate change.


To get you motivated here are some stats:

It takes one inch of compost applied to land to increase the organic matter by one percent.
Increasing the organic matter of 10 square ft. by just 1% percent locks up 3 pounds of CO2.
Increasing the organic matter of 1 acre of land by one percent will lock up over 38 tons of carbon! That offsets 5 years of the average American’s personal carbon emissions.
Heavily composted soil with a high organic matter content will sustain much more growth than poor soil with a low organic matter content, sequestering yet more carbon in all the green stuff growing above the soil as well as in the extra humus beneath the surface.
Once applied, compost increases micro-organisms in the soil, thus allowing for more respiration in our atmosphere, which results in a reduction in CO2 levels.
Compost acts as a bio-filter for many pollutants, thus helping to clean groundwater.


Of course this list is not inclusive. There are many benefits not listed here.

And it’s not necessary to understand the entire process from a microbiologist’s perspective. If one is able to maintain the discipline to carry food scraps and yard waste to a specific location on a consistent basis, then composting is simple and easy.

So start a compost pile! Already have one? Tell us what kind of stuff you compost and how you use it. Let’s get a conversation going on this. We may not save the world exclusively by composting, but it’s a start. Buy organic. Organic methods utilize compost rather than energy-intensive chemical fertilizers. One method helps the planet and the other hurts it. Seems like a pretty easy choice to me!

And by all means, if you have questions on how to start, just ask!

Here’s to all the rot-watchers!