Eat My Dirt
I don’t think I’ve ever minded “being different,” but I have to admit, it’s sometimes nice to be part of a group.
For the past two years, I’ve had three garbage bins in my apartment: trash (as Whole Foods notes – Landfill), recycle and compost. Trash and recycle I can conveniently drop off in
the bins downstairs, but unlike cities like San Francisco, I don’t have a special green bin for my compostables. So what’s a gal to do? About once a week, I tie up my bag of compost and bring it downtown to the Union Square Green Market. There, the Lower East Side Ecology Center has a compost drop-off. At their stand, I empty my bag filled with carrot tops, egg shells and squash rind and can buy fresh compost for my plants. I am not sure it gets much easier than that.
I am no fool – I know this is a bit “different,” but as I said, I’m ok with that. But the cool thing is, it’s not so different anymore. Even in the heart of winter, I find myself finding other urban composters to chat with as we’re dumping our goods. Thanks to a NYTimes article published last month, I learned that there are people across NYC who take composting to the next level, and (with the help of worms) compost in their own home! Best of all, this communal effort really adds up. Below is from a LESEC e-newsletter:
This matters because:
- Landfill space: Food accounts for about 13 percent of the nation’s trash — it is the third largest component after paper and yard trimmings — and about 16 percent of New York’s
- As compost biodegrades, it doesn’t release methane, a potent greenhouse gas (due to ventilation)
One of the most frequent questions I received while running the “How Many Jewish Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?” campaign was “Does it really matter if I change my light bulb?” I understand the root of the question, but I have always responded with an unwavering “Yes!” We don’t exist in a vacuum. Each of us acts as part of a community of friends, family and faiths, and as we act as a collective, real change occurs.
