{"id":17140,"date":"2019-10-29T15:41:38","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T19:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/articles\/community-composting-and-the-power-of-youth-feat-red-hook-community-farm\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:55:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:55:27","slug":"community-composting-and-the-power-of-youth","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/es\/article\/composting-for-community\/community-composting-and-the-power-of-youth","title":{"rendered":"Community Composting and the Power of Youth (Feat. Red Hook Community Farm)"},"template":"","class_list":["post-17140","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_type-podcasts-videos","initiatives-composting-for-community","authors-linda-bilsens-brolis"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":3233,"background_color":"tan","article_type":[34],"initiative":15,"display_event_fields":false,"start_date":null,"end_date":null,"start_time":null,"end_time":null,"time_zone":"America\/New_York","virtual_event":false,"location":"","topics":false,"impact_areas":false,"abstract":"<p>On this episode, Domingo Morales and Kenneth Young of Red Hook Community Farm talk about the power of being exposed to urban agriculture and composting at a young age and the importance of getting the community involved in your composting project.&hellip; <a class=\"kt-excerpt-readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/community-composting-and-the-power-of-youth\/\" aria-label=\"Community Composting and the Power of Youth (Feat. Red Hook Community Farm)\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\r\n","authors_tax":[635]},"sidebar":{"title":"\u00cdndice"},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<div class=\"ttr_start\"><\/div>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Welcome back to the Composting for Community podcast! On this episode, host Linda Bilsens Brolis is joined by Domingo Morales and Kenneth Young of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rhicenter.org\/red-hook-farms\/the-farms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Red Hook Community Farm.<\/a> Domingo and Kenneth talk about the power of being exposed to urban agriculture and composting at a young age and the importance of getting the community involved in your composting project.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They also discuss:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Running the nation\u2019s largest compost site powered by 100% renewable resources \u2014 and an open invitation to compete for this title!<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Including people of different abilities, backgrounds, skill sets and strengths<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strategies for engaging children in community composting<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Worms: a composting strategy or a tasty snack?<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nListen to this episode, then check out more episodes of the <a href=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/composting-for-community-podcast-homepage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Composting for Community Podcast<\/a>.\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 362.465px;\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-74349 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/domingo-morales-214x300.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/domingo-morales-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/domingo-morales-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/domingo-morales-731x1024.jpg 731w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/domingo-morales.jpg 800w\" alt=\"\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" \/>\r\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Domingo Morales<\/h5>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 353.576px;\"><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-74350 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Kenneth-Young-e1572375186305-228x300.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Kenneth-Young-e1572375186305-228x300.jpg 228w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Kenneth-Young-e1572375186305-768x1011.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Kenneth-Young-e1572375186305-778x1024.jpg 778w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Kenneth-Young-e1572375186305.jpg 1596w\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"300\" \/>\r\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Kenneth Young<\/h5>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<h2>If we get the minds of children ready for sustainability and composting then we\u2019ll grow a better generation.<\/h2>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<iframe id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fcomposting_for_community_ilsr%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fcomposting_for_community_ilsr%2FDomingo_and_Kenneth_Edited_VS.mp3&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Filsr.org%2Fcommunity-composting-and-the-power-of-youth%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\r\n<p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast (composting-for-community): <a class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" title=\"Play in new window\" href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/composting_for_community_ilsr\/content.blubrry.com\/composting_for_community_ilsr\/Domingo_and_Kenneth_Edited_VS.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/composting_for_community_ilsr\/content.blubrry.com\/composting_for_community_ilsr\/Domingo_and_Kenneth_Edited_VS.mp3\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"Domingo_and_Kenneth_Edited_VS.mp3\">Download<\/a> | <a class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p id=\"powerpress_embed_74346-composting-for-community\" class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_74346-composting-for-community_t\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readonly=\"readonly\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fcomposting_for_community_ilsr%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fcomposting_for_community_ilsr%2FDomingo_and_Kenneth_Edited_VS.mp3&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Filsr.org%2Fcommunity-composting-and-the-power-of-youth%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-2&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" href=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/feed\/composting-for-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div id=\"accordionname85\" class=\"panel-group\">\r\n<div class=\"panel panel-default panel-even\">\r\n<div class=\"panel-heading\">\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h5><i class=\"icon-minus primary-color\"><\/i><i class=\"icon-plus\"><\/i>Related Resources<\/h5>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"collapse850\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse \">\r\n<div class=\"panel-body postclass\">\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rhicenter.org\/red-hook-farms\/the-farms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Red Hook Farms<\/a><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greencityforce.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green City Force<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/ccc-2019-presentations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Presentations from the 6th National Cultivating Community Composting Forum<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/composting\/community-composter-coalition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Community Composter Coalition<\/span><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"panel panel-default panel-odd\">\r\n<div class=\"panel-heading\">\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h5><i class=\"icon-minus primary-color\"><\/i><i class=\"icon-plus\"><\/i>Transcript<\/h5>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"collapse851\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse \">\r\n<div class=\"panel-body postclass\">\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Across the country, the community composting movement is growing. Small-Scale composting provides communities immediate opportunities for reducing waste, improving local soil, creating jobs, and fighting climate change. You\u2019re listening to the Composting for Community podcast, where we\u2019ll bring you stories from the people doing this work on the ground and in the soil. To support this burgeoning movement, ILSR\u2019s composting initiative convenes a coalition of community composters from around the country and beyond. These next few episodes feature interviews from our 6th National Cultivating Community Composting Forum in New York City. We talked to attendees about why community composting matters, how they are transforming the way their communities managed their waste, and advice they have for fellow composters.\r\n\r\nHello everyone and welcome to the composting for community podcast. I\u2019m Linda Bilsens Brolis, I\u2019m a project manager for the Composting for Community initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and we are recording from the 6th National Cultivating Community Composting Forum, which is happening in New York City this year. I\u2019m joined now by Domingo Morales and Kenneth Young, who both work at the Red Hook Community Farm.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Hey everyone.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">How you doing, Domingo here.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">So tell us a little bit more about yourselves. Tell our listeners what you guys do at Red Hook.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">So I am the site manager at the Red Hook compost site on the [inaudible] community farm, and what I do is I manage the processing of organics coming from Brooklyn. We recycle the food scraps, wood chips, leaves, mulch, and we turn it into a resource for farmers to be able to grow food in Brooklyn. We supply compost to the farm that is on our site, but we also supply compost to community gardeners, food pantries, and urban farms around Brooklyn.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">That was Domingo. What about you Kenneth, tell us what you do.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">So adjacent to that I work at the farm site, I\u2019m a farm assistant. And basically I help with daily farm tasks with the farm manager, as well as two other assistants. What we do is basically we give back to the community of Red Hook. Red Hook is a food desert, so we provide healthier produce options for them throughout, I would say the whole entire Red Hook community, [inaudible].<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Great. And our listeners might not be able to tell, but both of these gentlemen are quite young. I\u2019m going to ask you guys to tell listeners how you guys got into composting and how long you\u2019ve been doing it.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Well, I got into composting when I was a part of Green City Force, a nonprofit organization that goes through AmeriCorps to teach urban youth from 18 to 24 about sustainable practices in different fields. I happen to be on the farm team about four years ago when I was 23 and I learned about farming because they were kind of putting us on existing farms and they were making us learn, and as soon as we finished learning, the next day we\u2019d be teaching what we learned. Yeah, making us learn it pretty fast. They give you a two week crash course on farming, energy sustainability, and environmental sustainability. So I kind of had a crash course, started teaching and I fell in love of composting. Farming wasn\u2019t enough for me. I saw that certain farms needed compost. So I love working out and I love composting. So I just kind of dived straight in, and for four years I\u2019ve been researching and learning and kind of working on different compost sites around the city to develop my expertise.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">So now you get your exercise by composting.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Oh yeah. We\u2019re a hundred percent renewable energy, 85% of what\u2019s done on that compost site is human power. The other percent we have solar energy and wind energy, but we\u2019re the largest compost site in the United States run by renewable resources because of human power. So no, don\u2019t need to pay for a gym.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">And Kenneth, what about you?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Just the same as Domingo. I was 23 when I joined Green City Force and I was on the urban farm team. I actually had a shorter term than normal; mine was only six months. The normal was like 10. So I kinda got like a crash course in urban agriculture and composting and sustainability and everything. And during that time I was also an intern at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden Red Hook site along with two other people. I was under the influence of Domingo and a man by the name of David Buckel, who was a site manager previous to Domingo. So that\u2019s how I got my fundamentals of it in the beginning. And then I went off to work for different, various companies.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Great. It\u2019s just awesome that you guys are still working in composting and urban ag after all that. So what does community composting mean to you?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">I think it means being able to give back to the community while also giving to the Earth, I guess you can say, being able to make the environment that you\u2019re in a better place to live. So even if you\u2019re just collecting food scraps and giving it to another place, another composting site, that\u2019s being beneficial to you cause you\u2019re making your environment better and cleaner and healthier.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">You\u2019re taking a role. You\u2019re taking an active role.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Yeah, you\u2019re taking an active role in making sure that the environment that you live in is much better for you to live longer.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">And you Domingo?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Community composting to me means the community is composting. And when I say the community, I mean everybody, you know, kids, adults, seniors, everybody can partake in this recycling of waste. You know, people look at food as just trash. But community composting, to me, it\u2019s teaching people the difference between trash and a resource and actually showing them how to create a resource. So community composting just has to involve anybody from the community who\u2019s willing to participate. Which is why we strive to kind of make protocols and do things on the site to involve people of different skillsets. And people have different strengths. You know, people who can\u2019t really lift the shovel we would have them sifting and plucking out red wiggler worms from the compost. Then people who actually want to work out, we\u2019ll give them a shovel. And then there\u2019s people who want to farm, so we\u2019ll have them weed on the perimeter. So community composting is just a way to get people together to work together, to create a resource [inaudible].<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">I thought it was really appropriate and cute, what you said on the social justice panel at the forum today. About working with youth and needing to like create protocols around them. Just things you didn\u2019t even realize you needed to create rules around. But it\u2019s just awesome that you can accommodate everyone. Like not eating the worms.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">You\u2019d be surprised how scrumptious they think they are. I\u2019ve tried a few.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">What do you think?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">They\u2019re really, they taste sandy. Yeah. That\u2019s like a real, they look soft but when you eat it there\u2019s a grit to it. And that that\u2019s how they digest. They have like grit in their stomach that, you know, passes the food, passes over and kind of breaks it down. But you really don\u2019t realize it. They don\u2019t taste bad. They don\u2019t taste like anything, but they are really like gritty.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">So not quite like a gummy worm.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">No!<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Alright. Well you know, if people want to try it out for themselves, go for it. So as we mentioned earlier, we\u2019re at the 6th National Cultivating Community Composting Forum in New York City, and this is the first time that either of you is attending this event. That\u2019s right, right? What is it, what does it feel like to be in community with so many other composters from around the country? How does that feel?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">For me it\u2019s empowering. When you composting, especially by hand in such an urban place like New York City, there\u2019s a lot of machine operated sites and you start to feel small when you think of how much waste they can actually take. But it\u2019s great cause this forum actually brings people of all walks, people who are hauling by bike, people are who are hauling by trucks, people who are doing it by hand, people who have machines. So it just feels empowering to know that there are people are thinking in similar ways, thinking about the environment, and it\u2019s just nice to geek out about a subject such as compost when you really can\u2019t do that with your regular circle of friends. So yeah. So it\u2019s, it feels empowering.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Yeah, it was really cool that before I wasn\u2019t really known as a farmer, within my circle of friends cause a lot of my friends now are all organic farmers. So we all have different branches of what we do. And I\u2019m the only one out of all of them who technically does not count as an urban farmer. I\u2019m technically as a composter, so they know me as a composter. And it\u2019s actually cool to be around a room full of people who are composters as well, who identify as composters, who understand the struggle of composting, who understands that it really is taxing on their body at times. There are days where it shows shoveling was really hard and there are days where shoveling was really easy. So it\u2019s good to be around a room full of people who kind of can understand that, whether they do it by hand or whether they do by machine.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Definitely. So what are some of your goals for the next year? What would you say?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">I definitely want to be able to teach more people about composting. It\u2019s kind of hard having this one right next door. So, but I definitely like to teach people more about composting. During my time working with GrowNYC where I did a compost coordinator, I definitely informed as many people as possible about what the program is, why we do composting and things like that. So I really enjoyed to talk to the community about composting and in a simple way that actually is entertaining, always trying to make people laugh with some of the things that I say. So it\u2019s easier to do that than just to sit there and tell them a basic line about what composting is.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">So like public outreach, community outreach.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Yeah. Even though I don\u2019t like talking to people, I still do that anyway. It\u2019s hard to tell. I really don\u2019t.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">What about you Domingo?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">For me, in the next year, well ever since the passing of the great David Buckel, I\u2019ve been constantly rethinking things on the site. You know, like we never had infrastructure to take kids before his passing and we never had wheelchair accessible tables. So my idea is trying to take what he started and this gem of a compost site that he started and expand on it and try to increase the community that we can actually work with. And encouraging others to compete for that title of the largest compost site in the U.S. That runs on all renewable resources. I want someone to challenge, you know, let\u2019s do it. It\u2019s an open invitation. Get your volunteers out there. You can\u2019t do it without volunteers. You\u2019d be insane to think you can. It\u2019s community composting, get your community out, reach out to them. But my goal is try to grow the site in a way where more people can learn and encourage more people to learn from the site by being more inviting and you know, just welcoming people to come.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">So the shoes of the late David Buckel are very big, but you know, big shoes to fill. But I think that you absolutely are the right person to do that. So we\u2019re very lucky, very blessed that you\u2019re here to do that. So are there any resources or any advice that you would share with new composters out there who are maybe just getting started?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Advice I would say know your limit. There\u2019s, there\u2019s a line between trying to take as much as you can and taking too much. So I would say start small and let it grow through practice. Don\u2019t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes happen. But try to get rid of the myths, you know, try to keep rats off your site. Try to keep odors down. We haven\u2019t had a rat problem on our site since 2011. We\u2019re in the city, we\u2019re in Brooklyn. That\u2019s really hard to do. Yeah, it\u2019s possible, but it\u2019s really hard. So don\u2019t be afraid to kind of make mistakes.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">What about you? Any advice?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">I think the best advice would be like, don\u2019t try to be original, but try to create an original idea from someone else. Meaning it\u2019s okay to go to someone else\u2019s compost site and see how they\u2019re doing things and learn. Say this is the method that they\u2019re doing it. This is the method that maybe Domingo is doing it and then okay, let me try to adapt that to my, how I want, my vision of my compost site to look. So definitely try to, not try to strive for this be so different than everybody else. Try to take notes from everyone else and then go from there.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">That\u2019s something that I personally like about the community composting sort of movement is that it is very collaborative. I mean you have these kinds of forums where people come from all over the place to share with each other and they\u2019re very eager to support each other and I think that\u2019s very unique and really beautiful. So I hear that. What about resources that you\u2019d like to point people to, our listeners who might want to learn more about you as individuals or what you do at Red Hook Community Farm in Brooklyn? What about you?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Me, I make music about farming. If you go to my SoundCloud on Domingo Morales, there\u2019s a song called Mother Nature and then there\u2019s another song about reducing waste. And it\u2019s called Vision and it\u2019s basically like my idea of New York City sustainably with sustainable infrastructure, composting, recycling. So if you just go to Domingo Morales and my SoundCloud and type in Mother Nature. You\u2019ll listen to some pretty cool ideas. The songs aren\u2019t mastered. I made them at home. I\u2019m just reading and kind of putting information out on a beat. But yeah, if you want to learn a little bit about what I do, check out my music and come to the site. I always like to talk about myself after we finished talking about compost for three hours.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Cool, definitely check that out. What about you Kenneth, any resources?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">The only resource is to come see me in person, really, if you ever in Red Hook in Brooklyn, just come to the farm, volunteer, I can work alongside of you. Just look for the guy with the bluish purple hair, you\u2019ll find me.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">That\u2019s very distinctive. Awesome. Yeah. Is there anything else that you\u2019d like to say to folks who might be listening to this podcast? Close things up.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">If you\u2019re working with kids and you\u2019re trying to get them to like composting, there\u2019s a little dance. It\u2019s called the worm dance. And just say the words, munch, munch, wiggle, wiggle, poop poop, soil. And the kids love it, of all ages. For some reason, they just can\u2019t get enough of it. So if you\u2019re having a hard time getting kids involved, make a weird dance, make a song make something catchy and you\u2019ll have kids. If we get the minds of children ready for sustainability and composting, then we\u2019ll grow a better generation.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">And if you want to see Domingo\u2019s original version of that dance, you\u2019ll have to come\u2014<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Domingo Morales<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">You have to come to the site. Yeah. Fridays and Saturdays year-round, Fridays from 9 to 12, Saturdays from 10 to 1. Right across the street from the big Ikea. It\u2019s the only one in the city. You can\u2019t miss it.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Any closing thoughts Kenneth?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Kenneth Young<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Just don\u2019t be afraid to try something new. If you\u2019re afraid of composting, if you\u2019re afraid to start something on your own. Don\u2019t be afraid. It\u2019s just, it\u2019ll be hard at the beginning of it. It\u2019ll get easier as you keep doing it. And don\u2019t be worried if you\u2019re doing it in a place that\u2019s like cold majority of the year, because I\u2019ve composted in 9 degree weather and that is nothing.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"242\">Linda Bilsens Brolis<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"252\">Don\u2019t be afraid. I think that\u2019s wise advice for life in general. Absolutely. So thank you both so much for joining us and we will definitely look forward to visiting you guys in New York again.\r\n\r\nThanks so much for listening to this episode of the Composting for Community podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. This episode is produced by myself and Hibba Meraay. We\u2019ll be back again next month with a new episode. Our theme music is I Dunno by Grapes. Be sure to check out the rest of the ILSR podcast family, including Building Local Power, Local Energy Rules, and Community Broadband Bits, at ilsr.org.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFollow the Institute for Local Self-Reliance on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ilsr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/localselfreliance\/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ilsr74\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>. For monthly updates on our work,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/newsletter-signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sign up<\/a>\u00a0for our ILSR general<img class=\"wp-image-72322 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/C4C-podcast-logo.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 177px) 100vw, 177px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/C4C-podcast-logo.png 1253w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/C4C-podcast-logo-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/C4C-podcast-logo-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/C4C-podcast-logo-768x769.png 768w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/C4C-podcast-logo-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/ilsr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/C4C-podcast-logo-250x250.png 250w\" alt=\"\" width=\"177\" height=\"177\" \/>\u00a0newsletter.\r\n<span id=\"more-50133\"><\/span>\r\n\r\nIf you have show ideas or comments, please email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:info@ilsr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">info@ilsr.org<\/a>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h2><em>Subscribe:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/composting-for-community\/id1482294569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iTunes<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_android\" title=\"Subscribe on Android\" href=\"https:\/\/subscribeonandroid.com\/ilsr.org\/feed\/composting-for-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Android<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" href=\"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/feed\/composting-for-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">RSS<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Audio Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/ccmixter.org\/files\/grapes\/16626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Dunno<\/a> by Grapes.\u00a0Licensed under a Creative Commons\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)<\/a>\u00a0license.<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Photo Credit: Domingo Morales<\/em>","":null,"settings":""}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Community Composting and the Power of Youth (Feat. 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