December 5th is World Soil Day, on this day we celebrate the eminent power of soil reinforced with compost. In 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences declared December 5th as World Soil Day “to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to human wellbeing.” In … Read More
On November 30, 2016, members of ILSR’s Composting Makes Sense team attended the Maryland Food Recovery Summit. Brenda Platt was a vital part of organizing the summit, along with Hilary Miller and Kaley Laleker from the Maryland Department of the Environment. The Maryland Secretary of the Environment, Ben Grumbles, opened the day with a Mark Twain … Read More
Composting is an age-old practice that still benefits our soils as much today as it did in ancient times. But, what many people may not know is that proper training matters in order to create this “black gold” both safely and effectively. At ILSR’s Composting for Community Project, we’re cultivating a greater awareness of the myriad benefits compost can provide to our soils and … Read More
At the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, we document and promote innovative uses of local power that can be used around the country. Community composting is a way that neighborhoods can take control of what could be waste, such as food scraps, and turn it into wealth, such as healthy soil. Prospect Heights Community Farm in Brooklyn shows us … Read More
Fawnia Soo Hoo, a reporter for lifestyle blog Refinery 29, reached out to Institute for Local Self-Reliance co-director and Composting for Community initiative director Brenda Platt to discuss the waste issues of the growing trend of facemasks.… Read More
In February of 2016, First Lady Michelle Obama visited ILSR project manager Linda Bilsens’ backyard urban farm to demonstrate the benefit of growing and eating local. The home gardening magazine Clever Root details this visit and the prominence of the White House Kitchen Garden.… Read More
The newly installed White House Kitchen Garden speaks to an important throughline in American history and could be a profound new symbol of community reuse, wealth and self-reliance, all of which are vital to strengthening local economies across the country.
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On September 27th, Brenda Platt presented “Composting to Build Local Equity” at the San Diego Food System Alliance’s Food Waste Summit 2 in San Diego. Brenda outlined the benefits of composting and the importance of a distributed infrastructure in order to build local soils, local businesses, local jobs, and local equity. Her remarks set the stage … Read More
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
