Congratulations for successfully completing Week #1 of the Backyard Compost Challenge! We’ve received data from everyone and things are off to a great start. Have a look at our collective Week #1 totals on our new website data table HERE.
Your kitchen scraps data was not the only information you gave us during Week One. Thank you for filling out our pre-project survey. Without further ado, here’s a brief overview of who makes up this year’s crew of community composters:
Quick Stats:
There are 86 households in this study, including 6 households joining us again from Year 1. About half live in Lexington, a third in the County, and the rest from Buena Vista, which reflects the state grant allocations we received for the composters. 80% of households have children participating in the study–including youth who are their family’s project managers. Participating “households” include a Lexington church and Buena Vista preschool, so we have have lots of folks onboard.
Experience:
More than 67% of households are brand new to composting: it’s why we selected you, after all. About 15% used to divert food waste but stopped for reasons as varied as moving to houses with less outdoor space to no longer having chickens to feed. Another 17% sometimes divert food scraps, but not necessarily to the compost pile. Some of us feed ducks and pigs and flowerbeds– and some savvy households are already making vegetable stocks and broths.
Motivation:
We’re an enthusiastic bunch. Some of the top reasons for signing up for the challenge included:
getting a free composter, participating in something bigger than ourselves, doing something as a family, and especially … increasing actions that help the Earth. (70%). As one of us put it, we’re excited about “trying something new that is good for everyone and everything.”
Know-How:
While 80% of households feel pretty confident in knowing why to compost, there is less confidence in knowing how to effectively compost, why food waste shouldn’t end up in landfills, and how to reduce other kinds of household waste. Thanks for giving us ideas for future blog topics – stay tuned.
The survey responses reflect a rich diversity in the demographics, motivations, experiences, and knowledge levels of our new composting community. No matter who we are, though, all of us are passionate about creating positive change one compost bucket at a time. Thank you again for joining the adventure. Next week: compost tips.
