Everyone with a yard needs a compost pile. When I lived in the city, I would see large bags filled with grasscuttings, sitting on the neighbourhood boulevards, ready for pickup and disposal. If I knew the grasscuttings were not the subjects of chemical experiments (weedkillers, roundup, herbicides and pesticides) I would have eagerly grabbed them in a mad frenzy to 'feed' my compost pile. As I mentioned in my last passage, many people do not have a compost pile because they feel it is too much work. Composting is a very easy pursuit and should be taught to children in schools. I imagine a school program that instructs and teaches by putting their lessons into practice.
Imagine a school that had a course that involved all school grades. This practical course could be broken into disciplines:
- a recycling program, where glass, metal, paper and compostible materials could be sorted and properly distributed and 're-used, and/or recycled.
- a recycling, reuse and reduce instruction and practice; this could be a fund-raiser where students 'sell' their crafts & creations made from materials, typically, destined for the landfill.
- a compost program that introduces the science of composting; the understanding of microorganisms, insects, heat, water and air to promote an efficient and fast conversion of recognizable carbon/nitrogen materials into beautiful and beneficial compost.
- a gardening program that builds a fully-functioning garden that supplies fresh herbs, grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit to the school cafeteria
- a marketing course that allows the students to raise money for various goals and projects from the marketing, PR, packaging, distribution and sale of numerous goods created from the above.
I know I was going to talk about Composting but my enthusiasm to give students and young people meaningful tools, that are directly tied into the school's curriculum and learning objectives, is a subject that's dear to my heart.
