Scraps to Soil Initiative

What is the value of food scraps, paper towels and napkins? What if we could transform more of these everyday materials into rich, fertile soil? We can!

At Laney College, a new “Scraps to Soil” initiative has launched to boost campus composting — so we can all help turn everyday food scraps & paper into valuable dirt!

The initiative will encourage students, staff, and faculty to turn food and paper “waste” into valuable soil for local farms, as well as for the campus garden (located between the Bistro and the Lake Merritt estuary channel). Green food scrap bins will be available to use in the student cafeteria and at the campus Bistro — so everyone can throw their leftover food scraps in the green bins around campus!

When we put food scraps, paper napkins, plants, yard trimmings, and sawdust into the trash, we lose the opportunity to turn them into valuable community resources. Landfills put a heavy strain on local government budgets and our natural environment. These valuable materials however, when diverted from the landfill, can be turned into soil for growing local food, creating green jobs, and supporting healthy environments.

GET INVOLVED – JOIN THE “SCRAPS TO SOIL” INITIATIVE!

We need students to help get Laney College on track as a “Scraps to Soil” leader in Oakland! Activities for students:

• Attend a “Scraps to Soil” campus event or schedule a classroom presentation!
• Enter the “Scraps to Soil” art & multimedia design contest – see details below!
• Join the Volunteer Crew to help boost composting and spread the word on campus!

For more info, contact: Aaron Lehmer, aaron@baylocalize.org / (510) 834-0420

The Scraps to Soil initiative is a joint collaboration between Bay Localize, Habitile Living Wall Systems, Laney College, Natural Logic, and Sustainable Peralta, funded in part through StopWaste.org.

DESIGN CONTEST — ENTER TO WIN $250!

Create a Compelling Logo/Design OR Video to Encourage Students to “Compost”

Starting in fall 2011, green food scrap collection bins will be placed around the cafeteria and the Bistro diner. A new initiative called “Scraps to Soil” has just launched to encourage students to recycle their leftover food scraps — and turn it into nutritious “compost” for local farms and gardens.

Since this is a new idea for a lot of people, we’re looking for visually appealing, compelling logos/designs to place on the collection bins, along with an exciting video explaining why we should compost.

THE RULES:

• All entries must include either a composting logo/design concept OR video
• Logos/design concepts should be simple, visually appealing, and self-explanatory
• Videos should encourage students to compost, explain why it’s important, and show how they can take part
• Entrants must be enrolled in at least one course at Laney College
• Entries must not include profanity, nudity, or violent imagery
• Entries must be received by 5 pm on Monday, October 31st, 2011

TO ENTER:

E-mail your design in JPG or PDF format OR a link to your completed video (preferably on YouTube) toaaron@baylocalize.org.