By Bob Doyle
Greenwood Village
No other mechanism known to humans is as effective in addressing climate change as capturing carbon from the air through photosynthesis. Much has been written about the adverse impacts on our climate from deforestation, wildfires and drought that denude the land and the need to protect our rainforests and plant trees. While this is certainly true and poses a significant contribution to our climate crisis, most of us can do little to impact that problem other than donating to organizations that address it on a global scale.
However, we can promote greater photosynthesis and carbon-capture by a simple act – composting. Composting our food and yard wastes has significant potential benefits in reducing carbon emissions by capturing carbon in our soils.
Composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. Anything that grows decomposes eventually; composting simply speeds up the process by providing an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and other decomposing organisms to do their work. The resulting decomposed matter, which often ends up looking like fertile garden soil, is called compost. Fondly referred to by farmers as “black gold,” compost is rich in nutrients and can be used for gardening, horticulture, and agriculture.
Aerated compost, when used in association with regenerative agricultural practices, as opposed to conventional farming, can drive carbon into soils where it is used by plants during photosynthesis (Learn more about soil carbon and regenerative agriculture in the documentary Kiss the Ground narrated by Woody Harrelson and available through Netflix).
Using compost in farming reduces the need for fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides, which are all derived from fossil fuels. It also improves the water retention ability of soils, reducing erosion and promoting healthy microorganism growth that supplies nutrients to plants. The production of compost from household and yard wastes keeps these wastes out of landfills where they produce methane gas, which is 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. Through regenerative agriculture, compost is used to produce healthier, more nutrient-rich soils and thus healthier food products.
You can compost by yourself and use your compost in your gardening. Alternatively, there are composting operations that provide a convenient weekly pick-up service for a fee. Today, you can find resources to help you compost or locate a composing pick-up service online. But we need more!
The power of composting is its ability to use food to make healthier food. So, when there is no more oil-derived fertilizer, there will be compost. But we need widespread adoption of composting of organic wastes to make a dent and we need community leadership to make it happen. Just as we have weekly trash pickup and recycling, we need a weekly compost service.
This is something local governments must enable and encourage if it is to become widespread, yet they are slow to act. When supported by your local government, composting is something that you can do with little effort and at little cost to become part of the climate solution. Insist on a community-supported composting service just like you expect your trash to be collected.