In collaboration with the US Composting Council (USCC) and BioCycle, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance announces two events to be held in conjunction with the USCC’s International Conference and Trade Show, COMPOST2017, in Los Angeles: Best Practices in Community Composting Workshop and Cultivating Community Composting Forum 2017.… Read More
Increasing composting in Flint will benefit residents in many ways: healthier soils for food production, pollution mitigation for contaminated soils, more opportunities for neighbors to work together, and greater community self-reliance. On July 27th, ILSR staffers, Linda Bilsens and Joshua Etim, visited with various food growing and access groups working in and around Flint to lay the groundwork for bringing ILSR’s Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders Composter Training Program to the area.… Read More
On June 28, 2016, Montgomery County Council (Maryland) Vice President, Roger Berliner, introduced legislation to require the development of a comprehensive composting and food recovery strategic plan. The bill might be the first in the country to stipulate a diverse and distributed plan that considers food rescue, backyard composting, community scale composting, on-site institutional and commercial composting, … Read More
ILSR is proud to introduce the Atlanta Community Compost Advocates! Atlanta-based Terra Nova Compost Collective partnered with ILSR and ECO City Farms to adapt their Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders (NSR) Composter Training Program for the diverse and charming City of Atlanta.… Read More
June 17th is World Day to Combat Desertification. In 1994, the United Nations declared June 17th the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to promote public awareness of the issue. While the UN focuses on those countries experiencing serious drought or desertification, particularly in Africa, the United States is not immune. “The dust storms and … Read More
Worms are pretty amazing creatures! When used as a soil amendment, their waste has been shown to accelerate plant growth, suppress pests and diseases, and even increase levels of anti-oxidants in food. But vermiculture has other benefits that can contribute to a community’s self-reliance.… Read More
Composting and compost use have numerous benefits in addition to green job creation and reducing the amount of waste destined for landfills and incinerators. At the same time we throw away tons of food scraps and yard trimmings, our soils are eroding and losing nutrients, while damaging receiving waters. Excess fertilizers from farms and suburban lawns, … Read More
ILSR’s Brenda Platt and Linda Bilsens are kicking of the DC Food Recovery Week of Action with a Worm-Powered Composting at Home Workshop, hosted by EW Stokes Community Freedom PCS on Saturday, May 14th. This workshop will cover benefits of vermicompost, and tips and tricks for proper worm-husbandry. … Read More
Learn more about best practices in crowdfunding for community composting!… Read More
