BY JONATHAN EMONT

In print | Published December 4, 2008 — Updated December 05, 2008 09:56

This week, the Good Food Project is introducing compost bins to the Kohlberg coffee bar. The coffee cups provided by Dining Services are all compostable, but until this project, the cups have been disposed of as regular trash. The effort is designed to justify the Dining Services’ investment in compostable cups, and Good Food Project Compost Co-Coordinator, Jesse Marshall ’11 said, “We’re hoping to develop a certain level of consciousness about composting and sustainability in general.”

Students will be asked to toss their empty cups into the compost bins. Cup lids and straws are not compostable and will be disposed of normally. According to Marshall, The Good Food Project hopes to expand the effort to the Science Center and Essie Mae’s, which uses compostable plates. Compostable cups and plates are not biodegradable, and last just as long in landfills as their non-compostable counterparts. “Right now,” Marshall said, having compostable cups is “giving people a false sense of virtue.”

Compost heaps benefit the environment in a number of ways. They lessen the amount of waste poured into landfills and provide nutrient-rich soil that can be used for agriculture. The Good Food Project’s composting efforts are also relatively cost-effective, as the College will be using a compost heap that is maintained by the Arboretum, which provides an industrial compost heap, with the regulated temperature and humidity that will allow the cups to degrade.

According to students working on the Good Food Project, one of the overarching goals of the organization is to further student involvement in campus sustainability efforts. Last year, the Good Food Project attempted to introduce composting to the Sharples Dining Hall, but students didn’t separate their discarded food properly, and the attempt was abandoned. This year, the Good Food Project is hoping to introduce composting on a smaller scale, and organizers hope that students will become more active in the efforts. Jim Marzluff ’09 said, “Currently, we have about eight paid compost workers.” The Project is working to employ many more on some of their other projects.

These other projects are varied, and extend from working with Dining Services to introduce more locally grown food into the menu to putting worm bins in resident halls. This last effort would provide small, local compost heaps for biodegradable foods, but, Marshall said, “It probably isn’t viable.” The Project is also working on maintaining its garden, recently relocated to the corner of Cedar and Elm Streets.

The soil produced by student compost will be used to plant crops in the communal gardens. Marshall said, “In that way, it’s a cycle. That’s kind of the beauty of it … I think it’s a smart thing to be doing.” Students have been assigned a golf cart by the administration to carry the waste to the compost heap and they will likely use it to transport the soil as well.

Jeffrey Jabco, Director of Grounds and Coordinator of Horticulture for the Scott Arboretum, said, “The program has evolved. It’s changed how it has functioned. The gardens look fabulous this year. I think the Good Food Project did a really nice job.”

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