Kirtland Central High School agriculture students have launched the school’s first-ever composting project to reduce landscaping costs and promote sustainability on campus.
On April 22, Earth Day, sophomore Kimberly Tsosie and freshman Kylie Thompson accompanied their agriculture teacher, Zane Webster, to the high school cafeteria to collect fresh produce discarded by students at lunch.
“We wanted to kick it off on Earth Day to be Earth conscious and focus on helping the environment,” Webster said. “But this is a long process. It breaks down over a long period of time. So it’s not something that happens overnight.”
Webster said he introduced the concept of composting to students in his horticulture class, with about half having no prior knowledge of composting.
Tsosie and Thompson then had the idea of including the cafeteria food waste to the existing compost materials from the agriculture barn, which includes wood chippings and other waste.
The project is starting at the high school, with plans to expand to the middle school and the community.
Thompson said she is looking forward to seeing the compost used at the athletic fields to grow healthier grass.
“I believe Earth Day is more of protecting our Earth, giving back to where we should have, helping out where we should have,” Tsosie said. “We have to respect mother Earth. She has given us so much nutrients, plants, so much oxygen that allows us to play in those fields. It’s always great to give back.”
Shirlene Lamone, the cafeteria manager, said the staff will be learning about composting alongside the students.
Lamone said she expects students will be willing to participate by placing produce waste in designated bins.
Cafeteria staff will collect discarded produce from students and from food preparation areas daily for the composting pile.
A composting pile was started in January, according to Webster, who said he has heard from community farmers interested in using the compost for their soil. The pile sits outside the agriculture barn with wood chips and animal bedding and has already begun to break down.
“It potentially breaks down into a really nutrient-rich compost that we can mix in with soil which like at Lowe’s and Home Depot a bag of compost will be $15 to $30 dollars,” Webster said. “Eventually if this whole thing was compost it’ll be worth thousands of dollars so we could benefit our school our community.”
Webster said the compost could also benefit community members who need it most, including elders and veterans.
“Food costs are so expensive right now,” he said. “If people have the empowerment to know how to do this and not be wasteful, it just gives them the opportunity to grow their own food, but do so in a way that really is helping our environment.”