We have reached a milestone with week #6 data: more than one ton (2,000 lbs) of food waste diverted from the landfill. In terms of animals, one ton is the same as each of these creatures:
- one baby humpback whale
- one great white shark
- one black rhinoceros
- one male polar bear
Did the one-ton polar bear surprise you? That’s a big bear! We often hear about polar bears in the context of climate change. You know the sad part of the story, but there’s also an energizing part, and it includes your little green pail.
Yes, there really is a connection between diverting food waste and helping bears (and for the purposes of this educational moment, we’re not talking about those Rockbridge County, compost-loving bears!). It may seem a stretch, but in an interconnected world, there is indeed a link between your backyard composting and a polar bear. Here goes:
Food decomposing in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere help regulate planetary temperature like a heat-trapping blanket. That regulation is alas out of whack. Today, an over-abundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is slightly raising the Earth’s overall temperature. A change in the steady setting of our planet’s thermostat impacts other systems, including climate. Climate disruption in turn disrupts more things, including how a polar bear makes his living.
Climate concerns are real, yet here’s what’s encouraging: since everything is connected, a positive change anywhere is a positive change everywhere. That’s where your backyard composting comes in. Keeping food from decomposing inside landfills reduces methane emissions. Methane is a way more powerful greenhouse gas, ton for ton, than even carbon dioxide. Reducing methane emission is thus an important action for tackling climate change. And it is something you can do right here at home.
When you keep food waste out of the Rockbridge landfill, you tip the scales toward good. Convince someone else to start composting and you’ve doubled your impact. Multiply it by 62 households and you’ve got the Great Backyard Compost Challenge, plus a ton of good.
Yes, you can help bears and whales and so much more right from your own backyard. So glad you and your family are part of it all.
P.S. Want to know why food waste decomposing in landfills creates methane, but not in your backyard composter? Check out our Landfill and Food Waste FAQ page by clicking HERE.
