We believe the health of tomorrow’s Adirondack communities grows from the ground up. The Adirondack Compost For Good project is a combined effort between a regional composting program and AdkAction, which serves as an incubator and platform for the project’s Adirondack focus. The project’s goal is to educate Adirondack communities about the benefits of community composting and to install large scale drum composters at locations across the region interested in reducing their carbon footprint and supporting local food production. This model is innovative for AdkAction because it creates a partnership with an active project led by Adirondack residents John Culpepper, Katie Culpepper and Jen Perry.
Adirondack Compost for Good keeps food waste from entering landfills and creating excessive greenhouse gases, primarily methane while creating a product and a social process that enriches local food production and improves the health of Adirondack residents.
Prior to becoming part of AdkAction, the Compost for Good project installed 4 in-vessel composters across the Adirondacks, including at the Lake Placid school district, the Wild Center, and the North Country School. These 4’ x 20’, community-scaled drums can accept unsorted food waste including meat and dairy, plus carbon bulking material. The project also provides compost education, funding support for sites interested in installing community-scale composters, installation assistance, and ongoing technical support.
In the last year:
- The project has built a vibrant and engaging social media presence including a Facebook group and videos of past programs and composter site tours.
- AdkAction and the Compost for Good team hosted a popular Compost Café online event series to educate and answer questions about composting at any scale.
- Project leaders are working with the town of Minerva, the Darrow School in New Lebanon, the Town of Keene, and a business in Jay to create new community composting initiatives.
What’s next:
- The project will continue social media and public outreach in 2021-22 and re-launch in the physical world with tours, educational programs and site visits.
- Compost for Good won a $5,000 grant to investigate the potential of urine composting.
- Several grants are in the works to support new composter initiatives in the Adirondacks.
- Nationally and internationally, the project leaders have begun collaborations with compost innovators in Mexico and Italy, as well as in New Mexico, Maine and California.
