Sunday, November 04, 2007

Vegan MOFO and composting

I am starting late, but from here on out, I will be writing something about food everyday in this blog. Since my camera is working less and less, since my accident, I probably won't be posting many images.

This is about composting.

So maybe composting is not about eating food to you, but it is to me. It's about using all the nutrients within the food items I bought to nourish myself and my garden, thus, later, myself.

I started a new job this past week and I love how eco-aware the people are (though I am sure when the issue of eating animals comes up I will be annoyed.) We have a compost bucket in our kitchen at work and I think it's fantastic. Our office doesn't produce too much waste for compost, but enough tea bags, coffee grinds, banana peels, and apples cores to fill half of a 5 gallon bucket.
It may not be much, but if you think about my medium sized office filling 10 gallons of compostable material each month, 120 gallons a year, that's a good amount, though still small. It makes me feel great knowing that it may be a small step in the large scheme of things, but it's step - like veganism.

How many times have we heard people say that one person not eating meat won't make a difference? How about cutting meat out of one meal a week? Well, what if 10 people did this, 100 people...the little things do add up.

Our office compost bucket has left me to think about my composter dreams - yes I have a dream composter! The last house I lived in had 2 heap compost piles that produced compost slowly but surely. Since we bought our house last spring I've gone without and felt guilty about the apple cores, corn husks and pumpkin guts I throw out. I've been holding out for my dream tumbling composter to appear on craigslist for less than $100. I haven't seen it yet.

It's hard to believe we've owned this house for 6 months. That's 6 months of not composting kitchen scraps. If this was my office, that would be 60 gallons of uncomposted material - and I am sure it's been more than that in my kitchen!
This month, this Vegan Mo Fo, will buy a composter, tumbling or not!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post. We composted when I was growing up--before composting was "cool" and was just weird!--and I need to start again too! I do feel guilty throwing all those scraps away as well, but living in an apt makes it a bit of a challenge. I know it can be done, it is just harder!

Courtney

laura k said...

Awesome post...

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

that's great that your new job is so "eco-aware" - great information in this post!!

urban vegan said...

an office with a compost bin? so progressive! they'll all be eating vegan in a few moths, once they taste your chow.

Jody from VegChic said...

Very true.

We also compost in the office. I need to build a compost area in my yard too. This spring for sure.

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

awesome post. i miss living in a house where compositing is possible.

nicole said...

your former office composts too! my worms love the coffee grounds....

Anonymous said...

I just bury all my compost in the back yard...