Winter webinars and workshops: “Extreme Home Composting” taught by Highfields staff

This winter, Vermonters will have a chance to attend a number of free home composting classes to help them reduce the amount of organic waste they send to the landfills. In a series of USDA-sponsored online “webinars” and in-person workshops in January, February and March, staff of the Highfields Center for Composting will show participants about the benefits of compost, compost system options, and how to maintain their pile to produce high-quality, nutrient-rich compost.

Food scraps make up about one third of a typical household’s trash. When food scraps are sent to the landfill, they take up space in our limited landfills and contribute to increased production of methane and toxic leachate. By composting instead, the valuable nutrients in our food scraps can be used to regenerate soil and grow more food.

“People will be able to log on to the webinars, or walk into the workshops, with little to no knowledge of how to compost,” says workshop leader, Maia Hansen. “When they leave they will have enough knowledge to start composting and succeed in their first year.”

In addition to helping first-time composters get started, the sessions will answer questions for people who already compost at home. “A lot of people have trouble getting their compost to breakdown properly,” Maia says. “Or maybe they have questions about what materials or food scraps they should put in their pile. We can answer those questions and get people the information they need to improve their compost.”

The online webinars are being offered at six different times:

Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 10:00 am
Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 12:00 pm
Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 5:00 pm
Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 6:00 pm
Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 7:00 pm
Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 7:00 pm
(Participants must register for the online webinars in advance at the Highfields website: www.highfieldscomposting.org/start-composting/extreme-home-composting-webinars.)

There are four in-person workshops planned in Northern Vermont:

Saturday, January 25th, 10 am-12 pm 
at Morristown Centennial Library, 7 Richmond Street, Morrisville, VT 05661
Saturday, February 15th, 2 pm-3:30 pm 
at Dailey Memorial Library, 101 Junior High Drive, Derby, VT 05829
Tuesday, February 18th, 6:30 pm-8 pm 
at the Northwoods Stewardship Center, 154 Leadership Dr., East Charleston, VT 05833
Saturday, March 15th, 2:15 pm-4 pm 
at Haskell Free Library, 93 Caswell Avenue, Derby Line 05830
(No registration necessary for in-person workshops. Questions about specific workshops can be directed to Highfields Center for Composting by calling (802) 472-5138 ext. 203 or by emailing maia@highfieldscomposting.org.)

Highfields Center for Composting in non-profit, mission-driven organization dedicated to closing the loop on sustainable food and agricultural systems, thus addressing soil health, water quality, solid waste, farm viability, and climate change. Highfields conducts research, offers educational resources, develops community-operated composting programs, and provides technical services with the goal of recycling 100% of Vermont’s food scraps by 2017.

For more information about Highfields Center for Composting and its programs, please contact Kim Mercer at 802-472-5138 extension 206, visit highfieldscomposting.org or send a message to kim@highfieldscomposting.org.