Pamela Alvarez is the Outreach & Education Manager of Bronx Green‑Up and Community Horticulture at The New York Botanical Garden.

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Every gardener understands the vital role healthy soil plays in nurturing vibrant plants. Like us, soil requires nourishment to thrive, and composting provides the essential nutrients needed to maintain its vitality. In the bustling metropolis of New York City, where green spaces are cherished oases, the significance of composting is even more pronounced. However, recent budget cuts threatened to diminish the city’s composting efforts, raising concerns among environmental enthusiasts. But, on a bright Saturday morning, March 16, 2024, at the New York Botanical Garden, more than 200 composting advocates gathered for an event that reaffirmed their commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship—Crazy for Composting.

Crazy for Composting wasn’t just a gathering; it was a celebration of nature, community, and the transformative power of composting. With the sun shining, attendees embarked on a day filled with insightful presentations, engaging workshops, and meaningful discussions.

Ross Gallery was lined with resource tables from partner organizations like Brotherhood Sister Sol, Beyond Plastics, East New York Farms, GreenThumb, GrowNYC, NYBG’s Herbarium + Community Gardens Initiative, New York Restoration Project, ShareShed, the some on NYC’s Solid Waste Advisory Boards from Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.

The day commenced with an enlightening presentation by gil lopez, co-director of Big Reuse’s compost education program, who delved into the rich history of community composting in NYC. From the inception of the NYC Compost Project to the evolution of waste management practices, gil highlighted the invaluable contributions of composting to the city’s ecological landscape.

Dior St. Hillaire, Executive Co-Director of BK ROT and owner of GreenFeen OrganiX, shared her inspiring journey as a composter, emphasizing the importance of grassroots initiatives in fostering local organics processing. Her passion for sustainability and youth engagement resonated with the audience, igniting a collective drive to effect positive change.

Domingo Morales, founder of Compost Power, captivated the crowd with his vision for building sustainable compost sites in underserved communities across NYC. His dedication to environmental justice and equitable access to composting resources inspired attendees to envision a greener, more inclusive future for the city.

Following the presentations, a panel of esteemed experts—including Anneliese Zausner-Mannes, Marissa DeDominicis, DK Kinard, Judith Desire, Leah Butz, and Xander Shaw—engaged in a thought-provoking discussion on funding challenges, post-budget cut strategies, and the pursuit of environmental justice.

Marisa DeDominics, co-founder of Earth Matter, reflected on the inception of the organization. In 1999, amidst the auction of gardens, a dedicated group collaborated with the Bronx Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land to champion issues concerning land and public health. They grappled with soil contamination and recognized the crucial need for soil amendments. Marisa remarked, “All roads lead to compost.”

Anneliese, co-founder of Nurture BK Compost, shed light on the controversy surrounding the city’s Smart Bin and Curbside Composting programs, emphasizing the importance of informed consumer choices in promoting sustainable waste management practices. Leah Butz, member of the GrowNYC Workers Collective, spoke about the significance of unionized green jobs in ensuring livable wages and benefits, emphasizing their pivotal role in mitigating turnover rates within the environmental sector.

When questioned about who should fund community composting initiatives in NYC, they unanimously agreed it should be the city. “Until the City is on board that urban agriculture is essential… we need to be creative [about funding]. Look at art, culture, expand our vision [to other large institutions] and educate them on why they should get in on this,” said DK. Xander Shaw said, “The city and taxpayer funds [should be funding compost], but confidence in DSNY is very low… Look at the organizations succeeding outside of public funding, like Compost Power—working models that are not failing to meet community needs.”

When asked about seeking funding for compost initiatives, Judi Desire, Executive Director of Uptown & Boogie Health Project, says, “I had to look for creative ways to fund the farmers market and compost, and to do a kids initiative with food and scraps… kids get paid to return scraps. This is education.”

After a lunch break, attendees gathered for a series of sold-out compost workshops, covering a range of topics from Bokashi composting to Vermicomposting to Soil Safety in Shared spaces. Led by passionate facilitators, including E. Shig Matsukawa, Sharon Gee, Nando Rodriguez, Nathan Hunter, Perl Egendorf, Jesi Taylor, and Linda Lipari, these diverse sessions provided practical insights into composting techniques and environmental stewardship.

As the day drew to a close, the spirit of camaraderie and commitment to composting echoed through the garden. Crazy for Composting wasn’t just an event; it was a testament to the resilience of community-driven initiatives in the face of adversity. As attendees dispersed, armed with newfound knowledge and inspiration, they carried with them a shared vision of a greener, more sustainable future for New York City—one compost heap at a time. As DK Kinard said, “Community composting shows that environmental justice isn’t just achievable, it’s working.”