MARCH 2020
LIVING GREEN AT CAMPUSONE SUSTAINABILITY TIP OF THE MONTH: COMPOSTING!
Living a more sustainable lifestyle can often seem overwhelming, but there are many small ways you can contribute to a healthier environment. One of those ways is composting! One of the biggest environmental stressors is food waste. According to the City of Toronto, $31 billion worth of food is wasted annually in Canada, which is 40% of what we produce. Moreover, when food waste ends up in land fills and breaks down anaerobically, it produces methane, which insulates atmospheric heat 25-30 times more than carbon dioxide. One of the easiest ways to combat the detrimental effects of food waste is by composting our organic waste. Composting is a process in which organic waste like fruits and vegetables decompose aerobically, meaning no methane is emitted while they’re decomposing. More than that, compost itself has many benefits; it can be used as fertilizer, helps increase soil diversity, and improves air circulation in soil! There are many personal benefits as well. Composting your food can help you identify how much food you’re wasting, which allows you to be more mindful when choosing your food. It also helps you save money – once you see how much food you throw away, you realize how much money is wasted! CampusOne’s cafeteria has a composting option for you to discard your organic waste and our garbage shoots can also be set to 'organic waste.' The small effort of separating your compostables from the rest of your garbage can greatly impact your environmental footprint and help you avoid unnecessary emissions! Living green has never been easier! 8 | CAMPUSCONNECT Sources: https://www.nofoodwaste.com/blogs/the-foodcycler-blog/top-eleven-benefits-of-composting https://tfpc.to/food-waste-landing/food-waste-theissue