The compost industry has come up with the most extensive educational initiative which is International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW).
This was first celebrated in Canada in 1995 and eventually, it spread globally during the first week of May. It has been an important topic to be discussed and do activities among the business, schools, municipalities, etc. People need to know the importance of composting and the long-term benefits of organic recycling. The main aim of the program is to raise awareness of the public about the benefits of using compost. It includes a poster contest, events, and other activities during the week of May.’Soil loves Compost’ was the theme of the ICAW 2020, which was scheduled from 3rd to 9th of May. The name soil loves compost was suggested because compost feeds the soil. Soil needs the nourishment to be healthy and compost provides food and nutrients for living microbes that get the soil healthy. It keeps the soil strong and healthy by reusing and recycling organic materials in a “zero waste” cycle. Other than this there are so many benefits of composting, which reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, helps retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests, reduces methane emission from landfills. Food waste and yard waste can make up for composting rather than throwing away to the dump yards. It also attracts many types of worms, bacterias, birds, and insects which are beneficial to the crop growth process.
ICAW normally dedicates a time when the benefits of composting are promoted through a wide range of activities. Due to the pandemic, we all are forced to sit at home but that doesn’t mean that we can’t do any activities.
We can promote it through the digital world as we are physically confined in small areas.
There are different types of composting, ranging from backyard to large-scale.
The hashtags are now trending on social media, ICAW comes up with the hashtag #soillovescompost by posting pictures of you and your family composting. They have conducted a program that includes tours of composting facilities, compost workshops, school gardening programs, lectures by well-known gardening experts, visiting with legislators and sharing information on social media in the previous years. Likewise, each year programs are conducted and the theme is also chosen. The theme for 2021 in the US is Grow, Eat, Compost, Repeat. This program conducts a poster contest that promotes artists around the world to create a design sharing the importance of composting and it’s used in growing healthier food, supporting healthier soils, and create a more sustainable world. It is mainly based on the circular process that turns recycled organic material into compost which creates healthy soil leading to more nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, with that waste getting back to composting and the process starts again.
It adds carbon back into the soil, promotes erosion control, and closes the loop by avoiding the loss of valuable organic resources.
image credit: No-Till Growers
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