A Vision for School Composting in the Upper Valley

By Carina Huang, VAAFM Farm to Institution Program Intern

The Upper Valley Super Compost Project (UVSCP), which was supported by a 2023 Farm to School and Early Childhood Vision Grant, is an innovative example of how we can work across generations to solve problems on the local scale while building communities and relationships.

At the edge of the Sharon Elementary School parking lot stands a wood pavilion. This is where Cat Buxton, the project director of the Upper Valley Super Compost Project, has spent a great amount of her time in the past year. Next to her stand three compost bins made from locally milled hemlock, where all the compost activities of Sharon Elementary take place.

Buxton is a passionate educator, composter, and member of the Farm to School movement in Vermont for over 20 years. For her, Farm to School means knowing where our food comes from and where it goes. "Our health and planetary health are all part of this cycle of awareness," Buxton said. "It also means maintaining the economic health of our farms, supporting communities with locally grown food."

Composting is an important part of the farm to school cycle that you might not have heard much about. When school composting is done well, it starts in the cafeteria, is integrated into science and math curriculum in the classroom, and then ends up being used in school gardens. Some of the food produced in those gardens then gets consumed in the cafeteria, and the cycle continues. On-site student-run school compost systems can provide environmental benefits and cost-savings for schools while developing interdisciplinary project-based learning.

A large part of the Farm to School and Early Childhood Vision Grant for the UVSCP went towards upgrading the compost system in Sharon Elementary School in Windsor County. With the old system too small and labor-intensive to handle the large amount of food waste produced daily, the grant made it possible for Sharon Elementary to build new facilities on the edge of the school that are both more efficient and more pleasant to work with. "The amount of the grant is just what we needed to build the building, put the surfacing in, get the bins in place, and buy some of the supplies." Buxton said.

Compared to the old system, the new facility has the capacity to process larger particles including meat and bones, which usually takes a longer time and releases odor without sufficient airflow. The new compost bins are about double the square footage of the old one. The larger volume allows for more microbial activities and helps raise the temperature inside the bins, thus building an ideal environment for aerobic organisms to thrive. The design of the new bins also incorporates more oxygen into the cycle, which reduces unpleasant odors.

Having been in place for six months, the new facility is running smoothly and serves as an engaging learning experience for the students. During the school year, student volunteers bring unconsumed food from lunch to the bin. By following the designed recipe, students learn the science behind composting in an outdoor classroom. The lead student volunteers also play roles as peer educators, encouraging younger kids to get involved.

Buxton launched the Upper Valley Super Compost Project to bring thoughtfully designed compost systems to many schools in the Upper Valley, combined with education and training for students to maintain the systems. "Because we got the grant and were able to build this system, it gave us a sort of proof-of-concept model to show that what we were thinking was going to work. And now that it's been functioning for six months really well in the school, we feel very confident now bringing this to other schools in the region."

Buxton started by spending a year building trust and relationships with the school and delivering knowledge on why composting is important as part of a local climate solution. And the work doesn't end with the installation of the facility. Once the facility is up and running, there are also monthly check-ins to supply teachers, students, and administrators with what they need to maintain the system. Communities and relationship building is a large part of the effort too. This is a long-term process that will hopefully influence the way people treat and perceive food waste and climate solutions.

"We're practicing what we preach and leading by example to show kids and community members that we can make a difference doing simple things and by changing our behavior. That's what I'm really proud of" Buxton said.

The design and construction of the Sharon Elementary School composting system was supported by a Farm to School and Early Childhood Vision Grant. The physical system, the educational curriculum, and the lessons learned from this pilot will serve as the model that will be replicated at other schools in the Upper Valley in subsequent stages of the Upper Valley Super Compost Project.

The Farm to School and Early Childhood Vision Grant is designed to uplift creative agricultural education initiatives that center youth leadership and community engagement. Vision Grant projects are innovative and can be scaled or replicated to other educational communities in Vermont. To learn more about the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grants program, visit agriculture.vermont.gov/farmtoschool.

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