Let's Celebrate Compost!

COMPOST... Nature’s Climate Champion!

Get ready to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week 2024! Mark your calendars for May 5-11, when we'll spend a full week promoting awareness and celebrating the power of compost.

This year's theme highlights the vital role compost plays in fighting climate change. The theme ties into one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - “ Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”. Compost provides a powerful solution for addressing this global priority.

Compost is nature's climate champion by:

Decreasing Methane Emissions - Methane, a potent greenhouse gas 25 times more harmful than CO2, can be significantly reduced by composting organics instead of sending them to landfills.

Mitigating Climate Change - Returning compost to the soil sequesters carbon, removing it from the atmosphere and storing it in a natural "carbon bank."

Reducing Fertilizer Needs - Compost improves soil fertility, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers whose production creates greenhouse gas emissions.

Increasing Resilience - Compost helps soil retain moisture and withstand the impacts of drought and extreme weather caused by climate change.

By composting our organic waste, we can make a real difference in reducing harmful emissions and mitigating climate change impacts. It's good for the planet and your garden!

How to Celebrate Compost Awareness Week

Start Composting

It doesn’t take much to start composting at home. If you have the space you can start your own home compost bin. If you can’t compost at home don’t worry, access to composting is expanding. Sign up for a collection service in your area, or search for nearby community composters.

Share Your Composting Achievements

Post to social media about the progress of your backyard compost pile, or compost collection service. Use hashtags #icaw2024, #naturesclimatechampion, #compost and tag @icawusa (instagram) or @InternationalCompostAwarenessWeek (facebook) to spread the word!

Create social media posts about your compostable packaging and tell your audience the reasons why you choose compostable!

Have fun! Share composting tips, photos, videos, and even interesting things that show up in your compost pile. Engage your audience by asking them questions: Do they compost? How did they start composting? What would they like to know about the benefits of composting?

Get Kids Excited About Composting

The Compost Research and Education Foundation has put together resources for teaching kids about composting.

Younger kids might enjoy creating their own DIY mini composter experiment. You could design and print your own compostable stickers to promote compost awareness, or bake some “Compost Cookies”.

Composting Events and Workshops

Check if your local composter, community garden, or if any businesses are hosting an event or workshop for Compost Awareness week.

Organize your own activities and workshops! Apps such as Nextdoor are a good way to connect with neighbors. You can invite neighbors to composting events, invite them to contribute to your compost pile, or start your own community composting initiative.

Become a Compost Awareness Week Volunteer Coordinator

Prefer to keep it online? Why not start a social media Compost Challenge to help raise awareness!

Take a look at the Official Compost Awareness Week Website for a list of events as well as even more ideas and resources for celebrating. Have plans to host an event? Add it to their website!