Vegetable Garden at Green Acre, 1970s? Image Credit: Diane Brandon
Every man of discernment, while walking upon the earth, feeleth indeed abashed, inasmuch as he is fully aware that the thing which is the source of his prosperity, his wealth, his might, his exaltation, his advancement and power is, as ordained by God, the very earth which is trodden beneath the feet of all men. There can be no doubt that whoever is cognizant of this truth, is cleansed and sanctified from all pride, arrogance, and vainglory.
Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
by Christine Muller
Beyond the unfathomably profound spiritual meaning of these words by Baha’u’llah, we can find much wisdom and truth in their literal interpretation: Our human existence depends on the earth, on uncontaminated soil with many nutrients and an abundance of microbes that support life. At the end of their lives, plants and animals degrade and become part of the soil again. This is a natural cycle. However, our current waste management system deposits most waste in landfills, disturbing this natural cycle.
“In the U.S., food is the single most common material sent to landfills, comprising 24.1 percent of municipal solid waste. When yard trimmings, wood, and paper/paperboard are added to food, these organic materials comprise 51.4 percent of municipal solid waste in landfills.”(1)
In addition to the outrageousness of food waste while many people go hungry, there is another huge problem many people don’t know about: When organic materials, including kitchen scraps and yard waste, decompose under a landfill’s anaerobic conditions, large amounts of methane are produced. And methane is 86 times more powerful in heating up the Earth than CO2! “More than half of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills come from wasted food.”(2) And that does not include kitchen scraps and yard waste.
The good news is that there is something we all can do: Compost your kitchen scraps and yard waste and, of course, avoid any food waste!
Composting is easy to do, and there are many ways:
· If you have space in your yard: You can just throw all your egg and banana shells, yard leaves, etc., on a large pile. If you don’t turn the pile, it is a cold compost pile. If you want to use the rich soil from the compost after a few months, you would need to turn the pile.
· You can use a compost bin, which is even easier.
· You could do community composting—a wonderful neighborhood activity!
Green Acre used to compost all the dining room and kitchen waste, and then later used the composted material as fertilizer in its vegetable garden. (3)
Many towns also offer a centralized location where you can bring your kitchen scraps. In some areas, there are companies that pick them up. Only in a few locations did the government institute an organic waste collection system. Local and state institutions are very interested in people composting because landfills all over the US are running out of space, and because of their large tipping fees. So, in addition to finding the best way we can compost our own kitchen scraps, we can initiate neighborhood composting or advocate for waste management in our town that facilitates composting on a large scale.
With composting, you live in harmony with the Earth: You put the carbon and the nutrients back where they have come from. You nourish the soil—and at the same time your soul!
References and Resources:
(1) According to the US EPA
(2) US EPA
(3) Environmentally Sustainable Baha’i Properties
Interconnectedness and Interdependence – Composting, p. 5
Green Acre Baha’i School – A Special Case, p. 7
Related Sustainable Living Conversations Articles:
Avoid Food Waste (January 2020 Newsletter)
Avoid Food Waste with Delicious Soups (January 2022 Newsletter)
