NSR Composter Training Program
Composting at the community-level – which includes schools, churches, community gardens, farms and other community institutions – is an effective way to engage youth, gardeners, and other members of the public in the act of recycling wasted food into a valuable soil amendment. Community leaders may be inspired to install and operate composting sites, but they need training, exposure to best practices and systems, and on-the-ground technical support to be successful. The Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders (NSR) Composter Training Program was designed to help communities meet this need.
The NSR Composter Training Program is a train-the-trainer program that prepares participants to establish and manage composting projects that both engage and serve their communities. Participants can then teach others, share lessons learned, start their own enterprises, and contribute to advancing local composting.
Training Options
Below is a list of our current training offerings:
- Virtual Home Composting Workshops as part of DMV Food Recovery Week: October 18th (intro to hot and vermicomposting) and October 20th (Taller del compostaje casero / Learn How to Home Compost offered in Spanish).
- Get started with our Community Composting 101 Online Certificate Course from the comfort of your home or office.
- Our NSR Master Composter Program incorporates hands-on training and is available to be replicated.
- Have ILSR present to your community about the what, why and how of community composting.
Past Classes
Here are examples of where the NSR Composter Training Program has been replicated:
- Washington, D.C. Metro Area (2014 – 2015)
- Lincoln, Nebraska (2015)
- Atlanta (2016)
- Baltimore (2016)
The NSR program has also been adapted to fit the needs of different communities, from youth leadership training to home composting classes. Examples include:
- Montgomery County, Md. (2018)
- New Jersey (2018)
- Washington, D.C. (2018)
- Philadelphia (2019)
- Baltimore (2021)
NSR Resources
- Community Compost Site Signage Templates (coming soon!)
- Composting Learning Activity Guides (coming soon!)
- Report: Community Composting Done Right: A Guide to Best Management Practices (2019)
- Guide to Composting Onsite at Schools (2018)
- Home Composting resources
Other Resources
- Post: DIY Compost Screeners (2021)
- Post: How to Start a Community Composting Project (2021)
- Webinar: Using & Selling Compost from Community Sites (2021)
- Webinar: Equipment for Small Compost Sites (2021)
- Webinar Series: On-Farm Composting & Compost Use (2021)
- Webinar: Community Composting Done Right: A Guide to Community Composting (2019)
- Webinar: Community-Scale Composting Systems with James McSweeney (2019)
- Webinar: Using Bokashi in Community Composting – What, Why, How, Who (2018)
- Webinar: Community Compost Law & Policy (2018)
- Video: What is Community Composting (2018)
- Webinar: Successful Rat-Prevention for Community-Scaled Composting (2017)
- Webinar: Crowdfunding for Community Composting (2016)
- Video: Community Composting at Prospect Heights Community Farm (2016)
Also, check out our other composting webinars, our Composting for Community Podcast, and learn about our Community Composter Coalition.