International Compost Awareness Week: How Composting Champions Climate Action
Composting is a simple yet impactful way to contribute to the global community, and it's something anyone can do. This year's theme for International Compost Awareness Week is "Compost… Nature’s Climate Champion," and it's true! Composting is a powerful tool for climate and environmental stewardship. The theme aligns with Goal 13 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which focuses on Climate Action. Let's explore how composting helps achieve this goal and more.
Composting and the United Nations' Goals
The United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals to build healthier, more livable societies everywhere. They're ambitious goals, and small steps can help make them a reality. Composting is one of those small steps that can create significant change, particularly aligning with Goals 12, 13, 14, and 15.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
At Compost Nashville, our motto is "Grow Food, Not Landfills." By diverting food waste from landfills, we turn it into nutrient-rich compost that amends soils and grows more food. Goal 12 is about ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. Our process manages waste responsibly, ensuring it's used to produce local food instead of rotting in landfills. Reducing, reusing, and recycling are key, and composting is the perfect solution for food waste that can't be eaten or donated.
Goal 13: Climate Action
Food waste in landfills breaks down slowly and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide. By composting, you keep food waste out of landfills and reduce methane emissions. Plus, finished compost improves soil health and helps with carbon sequestration, pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in the soil. Adding composting to your daily routine is one of the easiest ways to take climate action.
Goals 14 and 15: Life Below Water and on Land
Composting is in tune with nature's cycles. By creating a soil amendment that reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, composting protects water systems and aquatic life from harmful runoff. It also mimics natural soil processes, enriching farms and gardens without damaging ecosystems. The result is a healthier life on land and water.
Become a Climate Champion by Composting
In Nashville, about one-third of our “trash” is food and other materials (think bioplastics, natural fibers, etc.) that could be composted instead. By composting, we can turn our little corner of the world into a force for global change. Composting has a significant impact on both our local and global environments. Start composting today and become a champion for climate action!
Further Reading:
Learn which composting service is best for you.
Find out how you can convince your work to start composting