Green Guru Network

Green Home Makeover! Through a special partnership, local residents can pick up a Compost Bin &/or 55-gallon Rain Barrel at wholesale prices. On Saturday, July 9^th, the Saw Mill River Coalition (a program of Groundwork Hudson Valley) and SWEAC (Southern Westchester Energy Action Consortium) are bringing in compost bins and rain barrels to three different locations: Greenburgh Town Hall (8-11am) Tarrytown, West Main St. Commuter Lot (12-2pm) Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park (3-5pm) Compost Bins from Earth Machine will cost $55 (retail $145) and Rain Barrels from Systern will cost $75 (retail $125). Pre-register by Wednesday, July 6, 4pm at this link: http://compostbinandrainbarrelsale.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn. Questions? Call Saw Mill River Coalition, (914) 375-2151  or email lynn@groundworkhv.org.

Nancy Judd is a contemporary artist who uses found materials to create her work. That is nothing new, but where she gets her materials is unique She made an evening gown from used Obama-Biden campaign banners, and the dress ended up at the Inauguration!

Judd says, "One year, my art school got a new pop machine. The garbage can next to it grew with all the pop cans. Seeing them thrown out just seemed wrong. I put a recycling bin next to the pop machine. I started wondering: Where does trash go? Who picks it up? After that, my career path was in solid waste and recycling."

Would you like to see an image of her work? Here's an article  about Judd by Michelle Hiskey for CNN.

What does the forecast hold for decomposing coffee grounds?  mushy bananas? the croutons that fell off the salad last year and have been hiding under the fridge? Check out Accuweather's guidance on the subject...

Composting can be done anywhere any size from municipal and commercial windrows processing thousands of tons annually to a ½ gallon under the sink worm farm in Manhattan.    Composting helps eliminate garbage, reduces our carbon footprint, and nourishes our soil.    May is a great time to get your compost going.  The first blooms of spring are wilting and ready to be trimmed.  Folks are cleaning up winter yard waste outdoors and all the vegetable scraps of summer are just around the corner. While you are setting you your bin imagine this:

Great corn husks and tomato peels, basil stems and potato eyes left over from summer feasts recycled into more feasts in years to come!  What if the secret to your amazing sauce is the incredible soil that the tomatoes are grown in?  OK so if you are an apartment dweller the food scraps may end up becoming begonias or African violets instead.   (My avid gardener-composter-parents were considering moving, my Mom said she wouldn’t go without her top soil!)  Get the kids involved.  Apples and bananas are more appealing when they come with a trip to the worm bin at the end of the meal. 

Need help getting started? Check out Westchester Master Composters:

http://redwrigglerz.blogspot.com

Cornell Cooperative Extension is always willing to guide you through the basics: 

http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/westchester/

Once composting became part of my food preparation ritual I began to value my veggie peelings.  I began to think of them more like a commodity. All that biomass could end up becoming great food again, or it could clog a landfill, or it could cost us money by cooling the burn at the local waste to energy plant.