I have joined Hip Mountain Mama’s One Small Change challenge for 2010. The challenge is to make one change each month leading up to Earth Day, April 22. It can be small or it can be huge, something I will do to make a positive green impact and follow through with it.

Composting is the transformation of plant matter through decomposition into a soil-like material called compost.  Insects and earthworms, and microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi help in transforming the material into compost. Composting is a natural form of recycling – and a prime example of Lavoisier’s principle of the conservation of mass – it is never lost or gained, only rearranged. Now that I think of it, it also aptly demonstrates the first law of thermodynamics – Energy is never lost or gained, it just changes form.

I digress, and my geekness is showing.  Why is composting so important?  To start, yard and food wastes make up approximately 30% of the waste stream in the United States. Composting could reduce the amount of municipal solid waste by almost one fourth.  The standard means of disposal for most yard and food waste are landfilling and incineration. These practices are not as environmentally or economically sound as composting. Yard waste which is landfilled breaks down very slowly due to the lack of oxygen and it produces methane gas and acidic leachate, both which cause other environmental problems.  Landfilling organic wastes also takes up space needed for other wastes that needs to be in a landfilled. Incinerating moist organic waste is inefficient.  It results in poor combustion, which disrupts the energy generation of the facility and increases more pollutants that need to be removed by the pollution-control devices.

Composting is a more effective and less expensive means of managing organic waste, and it provides a nutrient-rich soil amendment! Compost added to gardens improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and water retention. When mixed with compost, clay soils are lightened, and sandy soils retain water better. Mixing compost with soil also contributes to erosion control, soil fertility, proper pH balance, and healthy root development in plants.

You can compost all of your kitchen waste – everything except meat and dairy products.  When combined with complete recycling of plastics, paper and glass, you are left with very little garbage from your household that heads to the landfill!  For more information on how to get started, visit Compost Instructions for a complete list of resources and simple instructions.

Composting is not without some inherent danger, however.  Remember that part a few paragraphs back about “insects” breaking down the organic matter?  There are some creepy critters who like to take up residence and overwinter in our compost bin – like this ‘little’ guy.  He’s a stag beetle larvae.  I found him when spreading compost this past weekend.  I put him gently back in the bottom of the bin when I was done, so he can finish mutating into an fierce warrior beetle.

  Hmmm…Three Friday Favorites in a row, with nothing else in between! Dang if life just doesn’t get in the way of my blogging habit! I just had to make time for Hillary’s Friday Blog Carnival, though, so here I am, sitting up way past my bedtime to get this published.

My favorite thing about this week is that we all surrvived.  Remember last week – I made a casual statement about how we all came home from our impromptu trip with colds?  Oh baby. By Monday my darling husband was miserable, running a fever, talking a decible lower and sounding like he had his head shoved in a bucket.   He actually went to the doctor without me nagging  driving him myself.  The diagnoses? Serious sinus infection, the kind where the Doctor just shakes his head, asks you to drop your pants for a shot in the behind and then sends you home with a Z-pack and prescription strength decongestants.  Husband actually stayed home from work.  *gasp* 

 

Then Teen Daugther#1 got laryngitis. And pinkeye.  Not that either one is necessarily a catastrophe, but she had to leave today for state honor choir ensemble and solo competitions. I kept her home from school the past two days with strict orders to sleep all day and not talk.  She was feeling better this afternoon, and her voice was back. I packed her on the bus with a baggie full of dayquil, decongestants, tea bags, eye drops and a small jar of honey.  If you’re of a mind to add your prayers to mine that she makes it through the weekend without coming home with pneumonia or bronchitis, they would be appreciated.

Today I discovered some favorite friends in my garden.  I’ve hardly been outside this week – I’m so glad I came home early today for a quick walkabout!