3 March: Compost food waste

Composting is an excellent method of eliminating food waste while building soil health. In composting, food scraps are combined with other organic waste, such as dropped leaves, newspaper, or paper bags, and aerated while decomposing.

The result is a rich, dark earth that can be added to a garden or potted plants. In addition to benefiting the soil, this method of food disposal avoids the greenhouse gasses that would be created by the food decomposing in a landfill. Rather than generating a harmful byproduct, compost contributes to the web of life in God’s creation.

Instructions for building a compost pile are here.

If your parish or parish school does not have a compost bin, encourage its leader to create one. Write that person an email, saying something like this:

“Dear [name], I’ve been learning more about our faith’s perspective on creation, and that caring for the Earth is an important part of our call to serve the Creator. As part of that, I’ve installed a compost bin at home. I think composting would also be a good option for [institution name]. It would protect our common home, engage parishioners, and be a good example of living our faith. I would be very happy to help build and maintain it. Do you have a few minutes to discuss this?”