Fresh AIRE

Make the Most of Your Compost

Composting is becoming increasingly popular for both households and businesses, and the environmental benefits are numerous.  Not only does compost enrich soil, but it also helps clean contaminated soils.  Compost can serve as a low-to-no-cost natural fertilizer, reducing the need for chemical-based formulas.  Lastly, diverting what would be landfill-bound trash to your compost bin (and eventually your garden) ultimately avoids the production of methane emissions – shrinking your carbon footprint.

Despite appreciating the many benefits of composting, our apartment was a bit tight for a complex composting system.  (“Honey, should this go in the living room or bedroom?”)  Fortunately, there are many composting options for urban dwellers.  By using a Bokashi bin - just one of many options - we’ve been able to address the issue of having a cozy space with this small “effective microorganism” (EM) system. 

All it takes is an airtight five-gallon bin (stored under the kitchen sink) and a substance called Bokashi, which is a mixture of water, wheat bran, molasses, and microbes.  All we have to do is place alternating layers of our food scraps and Bokashi, and then the microbes work their magic.  These little guys are natural lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and phototrophic bacteria that ferment and accelerate the breakdown of organic matter.  Yes, they will happily feast on your garbage – like these goats, but more manageable.

  The bin can handle everything from veggie scraps to leftover meat.  When we open the bin to add in new layers, the contents have a surprisingly sweet scent akin to fresh soil (read: pleasant).  A spout at the bottom of the bin allows us to drain the ‘tea juice’ which we dilute and feed to our hungry houseplants.  It’s also a very high-speed system.  Scraps break down into a ‘compost product’ that can be dumped outside in just 10 days.  (We take ours to a friend with a yard and a garden.  We are fed brunch in exchange for our garbage.  Win-win.)  It has been a useful solution for us, and it has been downright fun to see our food scraps transformed in the matter of days. 

Is anyone else out there using an EM system?  Does anyone else have any other composting systems that have worked well for their households? 

DC Environmental Film Fest Starts Next Week!

Don't miss out on this incredible event!  This is the 18th year of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital, and the biggest.  155 films will be shown in various locations around DC this month, starting on Tuesday, March 9th.  The 2010 Festival explores the vital connections between food and the environment (an area of focus for Arlington too!).  What we eat is essential to our health and wellbeing; how food is produced and transported to our tables affects the condition of our planet. There are films for everyone, adults, kids, and families.  Search the film schedule online. 

No Impact Man Opens Friday in DC

No Impact Man opens at the E Street Cinema in Washington this Friday, September 25.

------------------------ Steve Offutt, Arlington

Local Flavor

That's the mantra of Will Allen, a Wisconsin man who has devoted his time and talent to locally grown foods.  Allen started up a national nonprofit called Growing Power, Inc. whose vision is "inspiring communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time."  This is a remarkable venture.  Check out this coverage:  Citiwire.net and New York Times. 

Not only does Allen do this for his own edification, but for his community, and our environment.  His story speaks volumes to the impact and effect one person can have.  I once read a quote that resonates with me today, "To be successful, fall in love with your work."