ICAW Biocycle Article-June 2011 - J.Ziegenbien, D. Noble Last Update: 6/24/2011
{Editors Notes(EN): Are listed throughout this copy sheet for this article in blue italics, with brackets, like this one}
{This is an Article for Biocycle - July 2011 with the following working title…}
ICAW 2011 …. The What, Why, How and Happenings
by
Jeff Ziegenbein, USCC Board Member (www.compostcouncil.org), ICAW Chairman, ACP President, IERCA Deputy Manager of Operations,
Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority, (www.ierca.org),
Dan Noble, Executive Director, Association of Compost Producers (ACP), www.healthysoil.org
{EN: Contact names are in "End Notes" in case Biocycle editors want to have/use them, for reference}
What is ICAW and Why do it?
As most Biocycle readers know, composters and compost associations around the world celebrate International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) the first week in May each. The ICAW program is grass roots in nature and allows a perfect opportunity to teach young and old about compost's ability to conserve water, protect groundwater and build beautiful landscapes. And each year the program gets more elaborate and engaging, owing in large measure to the diligent work of the members of its primary sponsor in the United States, the US Composting Council. ICAW is a multi-media publicity and education event that showcases composting and compost products. Communities and government agencies, as well as members of the composting industry, utilize the week to promote their specific compost message and programs.
ICAW helps cost-effectively promote individual compost businesses and compost product sales by leveraging all the support materials available from USCC. By sharing and collaborating with other composters in each state, awareness and use of compost produced and sold by each enterprise is enhanced.
ICAW Resources:
There are many ways that composters have participated, both creatively on their own, or by using and building off of materials prepared and distributed by USCC. One example is the ICAW poster. . Each year the ICAW committee selects a theme and publicizes a poster contest encouraging young and old to create artwork promoting the theme. This year's theme was: COMPOST!...RECONNECTING WITH NATURE.
The committee received a record number of posters including a fantastic entry from Heather Lawrence, an art student in North Carolina, who submitted the winning poster.
{EN: Picture- Include ICAW 2011 Poster}
The posters are widely distributed and posted in appropriate venues were they generate interest in ICAW as well as promote a variety of compost related events in communities throughout the country. The poster and other resources can be found on USCC’s website.[1] Some examples include:
o Celebrate-ICAW-manual: A 16 page manual full of guidelines and great ideas for the Week.
o ICAW Proclamation templates: Documents local governments and businesses throughout the country can use to formally recognize the Week.
o Composting -at-home guide: A how-to manual for small composters.
ICAW Participation in 2011!
Every State in the Union has composters, as evidenced in the successful, Biocycle sponsored, findacomposter.com, but a handful of states embraced ICAW and held activities promoting the Week. A sampling of the events and activities include:
Georgia
The Georgia Recycling Coalition helped to coordinate and communicate the following ICAW events in the state of Georgia [2]
Asotin County Home Composting Program
The Washington State University Asotin County Extension Office received $25,000 in funding from the Asotin County Regional Landfill during 2010 and 2011 to conduct the Asotin County Home Composting Program. Retired WSU Composting Facility Manager and Consultant Dan Caldwell provided leadership to this program.[3] Over 300 individuals from 6 counties attended 10 hands-on composting workshops that were held from August 2010 through May 2011. Many individuals attended more than one session, as attendance average 61 individuals per class.
Community response to this program has been tremendous. Evaluations indicate that 100% of individuals increased their composting knowledge after attending a class and 94% plan to compost during the next 12 months.
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“The Asotin County Composting Program has held several classes at the Clarkston, WA Community Garden. Finished compost has been incorporated into the Community Garden raised beds during the spring of 2011.”
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“Asotin County, Washington Composting Program Coordinator Dan Caldwell screens compost at the demonstration site in Clarkston, WA.”
City of Roswell, GA
Keep Roswell Beautiful along with the cities ofRoswelland Alpharetta, held their 3rdannual Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Truck Load Sale on Saturday, May 14 atRoswellCity Hall. While the weather looked threatening, the people still came out and right around 200 composters and rain barrels were sold. Many thanks to GRC for sending us composting brochures to hand out; the customers were thrilled with the information as many were trying composting for the first time.[4]
{EN: Insert pictures "Roswell-CompostBinSale" & "Roswell-CompostBinSale-2}
Athens-Clarke County, GA
Suki Janssen,Waste Reduction Administratorfor Athens-Clarke County Recycling Divisionwas filmedat their compost facility on Athens Patch. Here's thelink (http://athens.patch.com/articles/make-mine-compost-and-give-me-a-giant-glass?ncid=M255#video-5951013).[5] Specific ICAW activities included:
· 100 - 3rd graders toured the ACC MRF, landfill and compost facility on Wednesday.
· 64 - Pre-K and 4 yr olds had a compost program at their school.
· 2 - people attended a Compost Tea Party program that discussed vermi-compost and bin creation
· 5 - compost bins were sold through Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful
· 50 - children attended a book reading and discussion of worms at the Athens main library
· 2 - separate events were held on composting basics and bin sale at the Athens Area Farmers Market
{EN: Insert picture " worms at emmanuel -GA" with the following caption}
"The Fascination with Worms!"
children attended a book reading and discussion of worms at the Athens main library
Missouri
St. Louis Composting
Ashley Bement, of St. Louis Composting (SLC), reported that in addition to a press release devoted to ICAW, proclamations that were made by the Missouri Governor, House and Senate.http://www.stlcompost.com/blog_17-Compost-Proclamations.html. Their events were advertised in the magazines they advertise with as well as on KMOX radio and with posters at each of their facilities and also their website (http://www.stlcompost.com/awareness-week.htm), which included a special poster ad. The activities included:
· May 3, 4, 5 – Customer appreciation events at the SLC Valley Park, ORMI and Belleville Locations. They had BBQ for their customers and had SLC manager’s attend each event to meet and mingle with customers!
· May 4, 5 – "Give Compost a Grow at Home" – this was a workshop put on for SLC customer’s to teach them more about composting at home and the uses of compost. SLC had someone from the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store join them to give a demonstration on how to make your own compost bin. They also had a representative from the Missouri Botanical Gardens Earthways Center join them to help discuss how you can compost at home. SLC showed customers the different types of things you can add to home composting, the different types of compost bins to use at home and also went over the benefits of compost use. They also raffled off an Earth Machine compost bin at each days event.
· May 4 – Ms. Bement reached out to the local news station, KSDK Channel 5, to make them aware of International Compost Awareness week. She had a reporter join her at their Belleville Facility to do a quick piece on composting at home. They were also able to make viewers aware of the ICAW events they had going on that week. For the stories see:
o http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=257561
o http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=930158021001
Wisconsin
Compost Joe's, Van Dyne, WI
In honor ofICAW,Compost Joe's hosted a composting basics class. Besides learning the basics of composting, students toured the facility and were able to bag their own bags of compost.[6]
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California
Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority
The Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority, held a series of events for their Compost Awareness Week celebrations that started with Earth Day Activities (last week of April) and culminated with ICAW events:[7]
1. Tour of the Inland Empire Regional Composting Facility: The largest fully enclosed compost facility in the United States!
2. Vermicomposting Demonstration and Community Workshop
o By: Carrie Bryant, Master Composter, Tuesday May 3, 2011 4:30pm & 5:30pm in Event Center
3. Project Learning Tree Workshop: Exploring Environmental Issues: Municipal Solid Waste
o By: Carrie Bryant, Master Composter, Wednesday May 4, 2011 4:00pm – 5:30pm in Event Center
4. Meet Vendors at Compost Giveaway
o Thursday May 5, 2011 9:00a.m. – 2:00p.m at Building A Parking Lot
Locations - Inland Empire Utilities Agency - Main Office, 6075 Kimball Avenue, Chino California 91708
{EN: Following pictures for this segment:
1. IERCF-Tour2-Jeff &/or IEUA-ED-Kids3-train2
2. IEUA-ED-Kids
3. IEUA-Class
4. IEUABob-Load2 &/or IEUABob-Bags}
Engel & Gray, Santa Maria, CA
Engel & Gray, manufacturers and purveyors of Harvest Blend Compost, celebrated ICAW with a special "ProAm Garden Series: Lawn & Garden Workshop, May, 2011, at the Mussell Center/Community Garden", in Santa Maria, CA, northwest of Santa Barbara on the 101 Hwy. The following is a photo journal of the successful event ---[8]
{EN: Following are captions for pictures as seen in the document "E&G Workshop Photos_May 21, 2011".}
1. The day began at 9:00 a.m. with attendees enjoying coffee and pastries while they read through the literature and handouts available to them. Participants received Harvest Blend notepads, pencils and raffle tickets as they entered the workshop. All totaled we figured we reached over 40 residents with this event.
2. Speakers were on hand to illustrate:
· The composting process
· The importance of healthy soil for a healthy garden
· Sustainable gardening
· Proper plant selection, crop rotation
· Lawn top dressing with compost
3. When our speakers had completed their presentations we turned our attention to the raffle table. Calling out those winning numbers adds fun to any event! The winners were thrilled with their prizes.
4. Then it was time to head outside for the free compost and vegetable transplants. Jim and Chuck did a great job keeping the line flowing, making sure everyone got just what they wanted.
Looks like we’ll be enjoying tasty salads of red & green lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and bell peppers this summer! Thank you Plantel Nurseries, Inc, for your generous donation of vegetable transplants!
5. Even the kids had fun! This little guy couldn’t wait to get home to start his garden and kept asking his mom when he could “jump in the dirt pile” (actually compost, but we didn’t think that would change his mind).
6-11 Now it was the big kids’ turn to have fun getting dirty! Bags, pails, wheelbarrows and even truck beds were filled with premium Harvest Blend Compost. Those with a garden plot nearby trucked the compost to their gardens and began working it into the soil.
12. By 4:00 that afternoon the roll-off had been swept clean! More than 12 tons of compost had been given away to community residents who will now replenish the earth with this valuable resource; growing gardens, top dressing lawns and “Completing the Cycle”. Naturally!
Association of Compost Producers, www.healthysoil.org, Jeff Z. Pres., Dan N. ED. Page 1 of 6
[1] USCC Website - www.compostingcouncil.org
[2] Georgia Recycling Coalition - http://www.georgiarecycles.org/
[3] County Home Composting Program, contact is Dan Caldwell at(509) 330-1042,
[4] For Further info: Janet Liberman, Environmental Programs Manager, City ofRoswell, GA Executive Director, KeepRoswellBeautiful
[5] For further info: Kristine Kobylus, Program Education Specialist, Athens Clarke County Recycling Division, (706) 613-3512, www.athensclarkecounty.com/recycling)
[6] Sarah Everson, Compost Joe's, 920 921 6223, , www.compostjoes.com
[7] Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority, www.ierca.org, is managed through it's JPA member, Inland Empire Utility Agency, www.ieua.org, and managed by Jeff Ziegenbein, Deputy Operations Manager, .
[8] For Engel & Gray, contact Bob Engel, (805) 925-2771,