Let's Go Compost

Last Fall, #LetsGoCompost was able to donate composting tools and supplies to Ahwatukee Community Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. Combined with a few educational workshops from Let's Go Compost, the garden now accepts free food scraps from their local community to be composted down and used directly to grow food for the neighborhood. To date, they have composted over 2,000 lbs of food scraps, saving 1,430 net pounds of CO2e from entering our atmosphere. This is equivalent to taking one car off the road for two months, or powering 1 home with clean energy for nearly 2 months. And, it's keeping food waste out of local landfills! We are grateful for the opportunity to support projects like this at community gardens and school gardens throughout the United States. Learn more about their community composting program at acgarden.org.

Interested in #ClimateChange and want to learn more? I'm starting a virtual Climate Change Book Club with people from all over the country - we found each other through Climate Generation's Summer Learning Institute and realized we wanted to keep the conversation going. We will meet every other month on Thursdays at 7:00pm Central via Zoom. Message me if you want to join us for the following incredible books and discussions! 🌎 8.1.2024 - Meet and greet, determine who will lead each book conversation and determine a structure for discussion  🌎 9.5.2024 - Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future, by patty krawec   🌎 11.7.2024 - What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures, by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson   🌎 1.9.2025 - This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, by Naomi Klein 🌎 3.6.2025 - The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People Planet, by Leah Thomas 🌎 5.1.2025 - Climate Optimism: Celebrating Systemic Change Around the World, by Zahra Biabani 🌎 7.10.2025 - The Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains, by Clayton Page Aldern #ClimateChangeBookClub

Have you downloaded our 100% FREE K-12 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Classroom Composting curriculum? Set to NGSS standards, our program contains five weeks of free composting lessons, guides, handouts, printables, pre and post-assessments, and resources to help your students become compost experts and sustainability advocates at their school. Thanks to grant funders and our supporters, our free curriculum was created by Tricia Rushing, a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum & Instruction at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, distinguished by her expertise in Educational Psychology and Integrative STEAM Education, which she applied to developing this cutting-edge K-12 STEAM composting curricula! Download the program materials at letsgocompost.org/schools! 📸: Catalina Ventura School, a #LetsGoCompost Program Participant #EarthDayEveryDay #sustainabilitymatters #compostingiscool #circulareconomy #ecofriendly #SustainabilityGoals #sustainabilitytips #Soilhealth #saveourplanet #soil #soilscience #SustainableFuture #wormcompost #foodwaste #sustainability #foodwasteprevention #compostable #composting101 #wormcomposting #foodwasterevolution #compostingtips #compostingisfun #composting #compostbin #compost #environmentaleducation #foodwastereduction #Sustainability #earthdayeveryday

Meet #LetsGoCompost volunteer Demi Newell! From Gilbert, Arizona, Demi is one of the graphic designers and illustrators that works with our team for our website and curriculum. She's designed many of the doodles on our site and on our printed materials, and we are lucky to have her! "I volunteer because I want to do my part in supporting the cause of making composting free and accessible. I create designs and illustrations for various materials that help bring the message to life!"

Join us to learn about #foodwaste prevention solutions and success stories! 🌱 RSVP: bit.ly/waste-not-asu

Let's Go Compost supports 100 K-12 public schools on their journey to reaching zero food waste on campus. We believe in beginning with baseline composting STEAM education, integrated directly into the classroom and set to NGSS standards (we offer our curriculum 100% for free at letsgocompost.org). Proactive education reduces future contamination rates, and sets the stage for step two: a student-led cafeteria food waste audit! Food waste audits provide concrete data on the types and quantities of waste generated in school cafeterias, helping staff identify specific areas where waste can be reduced and ensuring composting collection services can be effectively implemented. By understanding the composition of the waste stream, schools can tailor their composting efforts to target high-impact items, improving the efficiency and sustainability of their program. Additionally, these audits engage students and staff in the process, fostering environmental responsibility and hands-on learning. Read the guide to conducting food waste audits by the USDA, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and University of Arkansas: https://lnkd.in/gfiQ9E65

Have you used the ReFED food waste impact calculator? This free (!) resource quantifies the impact of amounts of wasted food on the climate, natural resources, water, lost meals, and the economy! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gEaeDzUV

Is enough being done to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s goal to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030? Read the revised strategy, released last month, by the EPA, FDA, and the USDA: https://lnkd.in/eR6vWjTe

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality ADEQ is revising their Integrated Solid Waste & Materials Management Plan and public comments are due in 3 days! Do you want to see changes made in the state's recycling, composting, and waste programs? Submit your public comment by July 20, 2024: https://lnkd.in/gSng5xb6 📸: Catalina Ventura School, a #LetsGoCompost Program Participant

Do you know someone aged 13-24 wanting to bring their climate idea to life? Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs's Fellowship applications are open until September 1! This Fellowship provides mentorship, capacity building, and funding of up to $2,500 for 10 youth-led projects that address climate change issues in their local communities through a creative arts lens. Learn more and apply at: https://lnkd.in/g4id9ena Disclaimer: Let's Go Compost is not affiliated with Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs or this Fellowship. We are sharing this opportunity to benefit our network.