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Don’t Throw It Away,

“Green Bin It,” We Say!

Shoshana Ambartsumyan

Engaging students in the wonders of composting

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Project Objectives

1. Introduce the concept of composting

3. Inspire agency and action

2. Distinguish what can/can’t be composted

To put it simply, my project was to have students compost their food scraps at lunch time. My three main goals were to:

Introduce them to the concept of composting. Often times students who visit us are from underserved communities where environmental education isn’t always taught so it may very much be their first time hearing about compost.

Distinguish what can/can’t be composted. Upon hearing about compost for the first time, some may assume that ANY food scraps can go in there, which is why I wanted to be specific on what is appropriate for the green bins. For the sake of simplicity though, I decided to use at-home conservation choices, which uses unprocessed foods.

Inspire agency and action. Composting can usually be overlooked in the US in comparison to trash and recycling. And sometimes the reality for some students as well is that they ONLY have those two bins. However, I would hope that the students that visit us go home with some inspiration to start a green movement in their home and school or at least leave with an improved attitude towards conservation.

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What is Compost?

Composting is the managed, aerobic (oxygen-required) biological decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms.

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency. Composting At Home.

https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home#:~:text=Composting%20is%20the%20managed%2C%20aerobic,tree%20trimmings%2C%20and%20food%20scraps.

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How We Describe Compost

Browns

Greens

Nitrogen-Rich Ingredients

Fruits
Vegetables
Green leaves
Grass/Plant Clippings

Carbon-Rich Ingredients

Dry Leaves
Sticks
Bark
Eggshells

Then over time with the help of water, sunlight, air, and the FBI (fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates)….

We get compost!

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Our Favorite Saying

If it grows from the ground

Don’t throw it away

and it turns brown

“Green bin it,” we say!

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What’s the problem?

✓

X

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The Plan

Part 1

Show students green bucket during snack time
Introduce compost at soil station during tour
Reiterate use of green bin during lunch time

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The Plan

Part 2

Check items in bucket
Measure weight of food waste
Add waste to compost bin
Measure temperature of control and experimental bins

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The Plan

Part 3

Email teachers with resources
Thank them and students for helping

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Control

Experimental

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Composting Grant

With TreePeople’s assistance, I was able to purchase materials that would aid in this composting journey!

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Results

Average Exp. Temp.

Total Weight

32 lbs

66.9° F

Average Ctrl. Temp.

65.65° F

So I decided to measure the success of the project by the weight of food scraps leftover as well as the temperatures between the two bins.

Over the course of about 2 months and with the help of over 900 students, they were able to help create 32 pounds of compostable food waste!

And while I had originally planned to measure the temperatures of the bins once or twice a week, I realized that the weather could fluctuate drastically (which it did) and instead, decided to have it measured almost daily (aka whenever we had tours). In the end, the average temperature of the experimental bin was 66.9° F with the control bin being 65.65° F. I did imagine that it would be more drastically different, but glad there’s a difference nonetheless.

On the bottom I’ve included some photos of how each bin has looked most recently as of yesterday. The Control again being on the left and the Experimental on the right.

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Composting Grant Goals

Community Climate Resiliency

Reduce Food Waste and GHG Emissions

At-Home Conservation Choices

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San Fernando Valley
South and Southeast Los Angeles
The South Bay
Gateway Cities

Serving Underserved Communities

“Only through direct connection with nature can individuals truly be empowered to protect their environment.”

- David Pineda

One of the big focuses of these Community Action Projects is to have it target Equity and Inclusion. While it may be somewhat basic, this project includes all students who visit us and while we get students from all around Southern California, we definitely wanted to target underserved communities such as the San Fernando Valley, South and Southeast Los Angeles, the South Bay, and Gateway Cities. Students from these areas typically been disenfranchised when it comes to environmental education, so we wanted to provide them with access to these resources and inspire conservation efforts at home.

This is something that we will be expanding on at our hilltop within the coming year. Then, in the future, we plan on creating signage around the park to spread awareness to visitors.

One line from the grant that really stood out to me was this one where it states, “Only through direct connection with nature can individuals truly be empowered to protect their environment” since it really emphasizes the need for hands on learning.

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Co-Collaborators

Abi Gonzalez

Outdoor Equity Educator

Maria Adame

Director of Environmental Education and Outdoor Equity

Katie Mills

Director, Environmental Education Strategy and Partnerships

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Thanks!

To all all my coworkers who assisted me throughout this endeavor and to my mentor group for helpful feedback.

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik