Goal
Provide the means to achieve sustainable landscaping and gardening for our St. David’s campus.
- As part of this work, provide education and guidance for users of the composting facilities to ensure that health guidelines and correct composting techniques are followed.
- Also, make available to the community of St. David’s (and eventually others on San Juan Island) the product of the composting efforts – rich organic matter called humus – to further their sustainable gardening efforts.
What Type of Composting Will We Be Doing?
We will be composting lawn material. We will not be composting food scraps.
This type of composting is best composed of equal quantities of green (nitrogenous) and brown (carbon rich material). Lawn clippings and trimmings from shrubs and dead flowers would be green material. Examples of brown material are fallen leaves of deciduous trees.
How Will It Work?
There will be three bins which will contain alternate layers of green and brown compostable materials. The pile in the first bin will be kept moist and aerated, and temperature taken until the temperature reaches 150° F. Then, the compost will be turned into the second bin and the first bin will be filled with a new layered mixture. As the compost matures, it will be moved through the three-bin sequence, then turned onto a tarp and covered with a tarp to allow it to mature.
The total process through the bins will take up to 6 weeks, and then the compost will mature for a further 3 – 6 weeks. Mature compost will be used to replenish beds on the church campus, and will be offered the St. David’s community.
Where Are We in This Effort?
The site has been prepared, and construction of the actual compost bins will be commencing shortly.
As soon as the bins are in place, we will be communicating plans and schedules for intake of approved green and brown materials from the St. David’s community. We will be providing guidelines about materials that are appropriate to compost.
We are looking for parishioners & friends to participate in this exciting & rewarding (& fun) project! For more information contact Nancy Heacox, Fiona Norris, or Jane Weil.