Beat Climate Chaos

Inspiring Stories of Actions to Beat Climate Chaos

kirsten — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:59:59 +0000

Get inspired!

Read stories of what others have done to help beat climate chaos.

Get ideas. Build on others’ ideas. Find ways to challenge yourself.
What sounds fun to you?
What sounds easy?
Do you want to challenge yourself or choose something you’re confident you can stick with and accomplish?
How are you going to measure your accomplishment?
What can you pick that you know you can stick with as your routine?
What change can you turn into a habit?

After you figure out what change you want to commit to, go to the commit-to-change page, get more ideas from what others are committing to, then submit your commitment. After you’ve had time to work on your commitment, come back here and submit your story.

What’s Your Commitment to Change?

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:05:39 +0000

What change will you make to help Beat Climate Chaos? Join the Boomerang Compost Challenge. Start small or challenge yourself, whatever works for you. Read about the commitments other folks made. Use or build on others’ ideas or create a new change commitment to challenge yourself. Get a group of friends or colleagues to each sign up – you can encourage and challenge each other. Make it fun!

Click on the Submit Your Commitment button and fill in your commitment to change. Then get going to help Beat Climate Chaos!

Boomerang Compost Challenge

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:33:28 +0000

in 2007, 165 Mountain View residents participated in a Santa Clara county composting workshop, the Mountain View Voice reported.
In 2010 let’s see how many people in and around Mountain View are composting or will commit to start composting before 10-10-10, October 10, 2010.

Why compost?

Santa Clara County estimates its landfills will be full in 15-17 years.

Composting reduces green house gas emissions.

Methane, which landfills produce, has 72 times the global warming potential as carbon dioxide over a 20 year period according to The Nobel Peace Prize winning United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in Working Group I’s Fourth Assessment Report.

Waste in landfills slowly decomposes anaerobically, without air, and thus produces methane. Many locals know that landfills produce methane based on personal experience. You may remember the methane gas from the Shoreline landfill that filtered through the grass at Shoreline Amphitheatre and that would catch fire when people lit cigarettes.

When waste is appropriately composted it decomposes aerobically, with air, and does not produce methane, though it does produce carbon dioxide.

Overall sending kitchen scraps, yard waste and other compostables, to your compost pile instead of to the landfill significantly reduces green house gas emissions.

After cars and transportation, landfills are one of our areas’ biggest contributors to climate chaos. The more each of us reduces methane from landfills, the better off we all are.

So let’s get to it -
Tell us about your composting experience or commit to start composting.
Let’s see what a difference we can make all together.

What Rewards Will You Receive for Helping to Beat Climate Chaos?

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:03:58 +0000

When you commit to a change to help beat climate chaos and also when you tell your story about how you’re helping to beat climate chaos, you receive discounts, deals and offers from local green organizations. These are intended as an immediate reward. Your larger reward is intrinsic – knowing that you are working together with your community and making a difference to help beat climate chaos.

Once we receive your commitment or story form, review it and perhaps ask you clarifying questions, then we will send you instructions for receiving your discounts, deals and offers from local green organizations.

Read below for examples of some of the discounts, deals and offers from local green organizations

Note – We’re always looking for local green organizations to offer deals and encourage community members to help beat climate chaos. If you or an organization you know can offer a deal, please contact us.

Dave P of Mountain View’s Compost Story

kirsten — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 05:55:55 +0000

Name: Dave P.
City: Mountain View
Why did you start composting?: To reduce the amount of garbage we send to the landfill.
How do you fit composting into your busy day?: We keep a stainless steel bucket under the kitchen sink so we only walk to the outdoor compost bin when it’s convenient (or needed) to empty the bucket.
What did you have to overcome to start composting, what kept you from starting sooner?: Finding a location for an outdoor compost bin.
What problems have you had to overcome to maintain your compost?: Keeping the fruit flies to a minimum. We do this by layering dry materials on top of wet (fresh) materials.
What unexpected things or events occurred because of your compost?: We occasionally find spotted salamanders in or near our compost so I tend to avoid turning it too often to avoid disturbing them.
What do you like best about composting?: We only fill half of a small city garbage container a week. And the compost shrinks dramatically – we keep adding to it but it takes a long time to get full.
What words of advice do you have for new composters?: Have some dry materials (grass or leaves) to sprinkle over your fresh compost (for an outdoor bin).
Would you recommend composting to your friends and family? Why or why not?: Yes, but to use an outdoor bin you need some space where a dog won’t get into it and anyone who sees it won’t mind it (we keep it behind some shrubs).
For how long have you been composting?: Off and on for over 10 years.
Do you have a compost bin or a worm bin or both?: We have two black plastic outdoor compost bins (but they mostly are cold and the compost appears to be eaten by worms).
Please describe your compost and your experience composting.: I mostly add things to the covered compost bin and spray a little water on each time. I really only mix it a little with a compost mixer a few times a year.
How does composting feel, sound, smell, look to you, your friends, your family?: It’s mostly hidden by a black plastic bin, and we tuck it partly out of sight from the street.
How often to do you add kitchen scraps and other material to your compost bin/pile?: We add material pretty much after every time we prepare fruit or vegetables, so 1 or 2 times a day.
What do you put in your compost?: Fruit and vegetable scraps. Coffee grounds. Leaves that are not too tough (avoiding magnolia leaves). Grass – sometimes fresh, sometimes after we let the clippings dry.
What do you not put in your compost and why not?: Meat, fat, oil, sauces, bread, paper, peach pits.
What do you do with the product of your compost?: I screen it to get out any uncomposted material and mix the compost into soil before planting a garden.
How much time per week to you spend maintaining your compost?: 5 minutes. Maybe 15 if you including adding scraps and dry material to it.
Do you have compost questions with which you would like help?: Have people found a good screening device (to get out the pits or wood chips).

Page of Mountain View’s Compost Story

kirsten — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:09:46 +0000

Name: Page M
City: Mountain View
Why did you start composting?: To reduce the amount of stuff my family adds to the waste stream.
How do you fit composting into your busy day?: I have a worm bin and I add scraps to a container on the kitchen counter then feed the worms every few days. No sweat!
What did you have to overcome to start composting, what kept you from starting sooner?: I had some unsuccessful worm bins for a few years. I finally bought a commercial, stacking bin.
What problems have you had to overcome to maintain your compost?: Fruit flies in the kitchen.
Do different people in your household view the compost differently? If so, how?: Everyone feeds the kitchen container, but only mom feeds the worms.
What unexpected things or events occurred because of your compost?: I grew a mango tree in California that sprouted from a pit in the bin. Lots of interesting things sprout in there!
What do you like best about composting?: My citrus trees love the compost.
What do you like least about composting?: Fruit flies.
What words of advice do you have for new composters?: Stick with it. Given the right environment, the worms will go crazy.
Would you recommend composting to your friends and family? Why or why not?: Yes! It’s great for your garden.
For how long have you been composting?: 15 years.
Do you have a compost bin or a worm bin or both?: Worms.
Please describe your compost and your experience composting.: Worm bin on the side yard, transfer container in the kitchen.
How does composting feel, sound, smell, look to you, your friends, your family?: The kitchen scraps can get smelly. The bin isn’t smelly.
How often to do you add kitchen scraps and other material to your compost bin/pile?: Kitchen scraps every day.
What do you put in your compost?: Fruit/veg scraps, old bread, eggshells.
What do you not put in your compost and why not?: Bones, meat, eggs, fish. Not good for the compost.
What do you do with the product of your compost?: Put it on the fruit trees in the garden. I pour the leached liquid on the fruit trees as well.
How much time per week to you spend maintaining your compost?: 5 minutes.
What other question do you think we should ask that might help others better understand composting, help them compost and inspire folks to start composting?: Where did you get your worms/worm bin?

Bruce of Mountain View’s Compost Story

kirsten — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 22:03:03 +0000

Name: Bruce
City: Mountain View
Why did you start composting?: We bid on an Earth Machine composter at a silent auction fundraiser.
How do you fit composting into your busy day?: We have an attractive red ceramic container (about 1/2 gallon) sitting on the kitchen counter. Our 2-person household fills this 2-3 times/week.
What did you have to overcome to start composting, what kept you from starting sooner?: There weren’t many good spots in our yard for the composter.
What problems have you had to overcome to maintain your compost?: I had to lay down metal screening around the base to keep critters from tunneling into the compost
What’s a funny story about your compost?: Apparently tomato seeds aren’t sterilized in our composter. We had dozens of volunteer tomatoes in the spot where I spread the compost this spring.
What do you like best about composting?: The consciousness raising aspect of realizing that you can’t really throw anything away. There is no “away.”
What do you like least about composting?: The time required.
For how long have you been composting?: 2 years
Do you have a compost bin or a worm bin or both?: Compost bin
How often to do you add kitchen scraps and other material to your compost bin/pile?: 3 times per week
What do you put in your compost?: All kitchen scraps and stale food except meat and milk-based products, plus leaves.
What do you not put in your compost and why not?:
What do you do with the product of your compost?: I’ve used it to amend our garden, but we don’t generate as much compost as we use
How much time per week to you spend maintaining your compost?: 10 minutes
Do you have compost questions with which you would like help?: I’d like to know what the “avoided carbon footprint” is of composting 1 pound/week of food scraps.

Jerry of Mountain View’s Compost Story

kirsten — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:13:38 +0000

Thanks to Jerry of Mountain View for starting our composting story telling. Jerry started composting this year, in 2010.

How do you fit composting into your busy day?: I keep a kitchen compost collector by the sink; when it’s nearly full I take it out to the composter just outside the patio doors.
What did you have to overcome to start composting, what kept you from starting sooner?: I need an attractive composting unit; the big black ball from CostCo fit the bill perfectly.
What problems have you had to overcome to maintain your compost?: Every now and then I pick up some cut grass from the gardener when I need to heat it up a bit.
Do different people in your household view the compost differently? If so, how?: I’m a single guy living alone.
What unexpected things or events occurred because of your compost?: Apparently it’s sexy to some women; I get lots of appreciations.
What’s a funny story about your compost?: Hardly a knee slapper, but I’m always tickled that the composting ball never seems to fill up. Everytime I go out, the pile seems less than last time.
What do you like best about composting?: Just knowing that I’m not contributing to the growing pile of stink in the Bay area.
What words of advice do you have for new composters?: Once you start, you’ll be surprised at the extra things you can accommodate. I have an office shredder; a good complement to kitchen waste.
Would you recommend composting to your friends and family? Why or why not?: Absolutely. The big black ball makes it easy to do without messy piles. I have a small backyard in my townhouse, but it fits in nicely.
For how long have you been composting?: Did it a lot back in 1970-1980, but not since then.
Do you have a compost bin or a worm bin or both?: Just a compost bin.
Please describe your compost and your experience composting.: Mostly kitchen waste and waste paper.
How does composting feel, sound, smell, look to you, your friends, your family?: There’s no smell unless you get really close; and then it just smells sweet.
How often to do you add kitchen scraps and other material to your compost bin/pile?: 2 or 3 times a week.
What do you put in your compost?: Kitchen waste, tea grounds, shredded paper.
What do you do with the product of your compost?: Just spread it on the ground and turn it in.
How much time per week to you spend maintaining your compost?: Maybe 10 minutes

Free Water-Efficient Landscaping Classes

kirsten — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:42:29 +0000

The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency offers free water-efficient landscaping classes on topics, including composting, at locations around the bay area. See their class schedule for class descriptions, dates and locations.

Recycling – closing the loop

kirsten — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:52:35 +0000

Kids who visited the Beat Climate Chaos booth at local events drew the pictures below to represent their ideas and stories about how to beat climate chaos. They drew the pictures using crayons made from soybeans on 100% post consumer recycled paper.

Jeevika B of Cupertino pictures closing the recycling loop by using products made from the material you recycle.

“Mom! The recycle bin is made out of recycled material!”