Composting Gets Visual

Zero-Waste Composting
Eureka! Recycling encourages Minnesota residents to "make dirt not waste."

Eureka! Recycling is a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis Minnesota.  According to their website, www.makedirtnotwaste.org, they have been providing curbside, education, and advocacy services in the Twin Cities area since 2001.  I found this poster on their website alongside the announcement of a Zero-Waste Composting Report which was released in May of 2013.  How might this poster look under rhetorical analysis?

This poster utilizes spatial distribution to communicate a three-part message.  The top third of the space is uncluttered and open.  The white cloud against the blue sky with a yellow kite floating by capitalize on the environmental ideals of clean air and open spaces.  The Eureka! Recycling logo appears in a prominent place in the upper-right corner on the diagonal as to be noticed but not overly dominant.  The white text on the royal background both look and serve as a branding tag. 

The portion occupying the center of the poster uses all caps text in a black hash-shaded bubble font giving the words an animated feel.  Creatively, the word “dirt” is used in quotation marks exploiting the idiom used to communicate the obtaining of information about something or someone.  The words “zero-waste composting” are the largest items on the entire poster, and were the first place I found myself looking.  They command attention because of their size and placement.  It is clear that this message is intended to be the main point.   

The bottom third of the poster uses simple sketch drawings as a foundation or fertile ground for the entire message.  The spring green color is reminiscent of growth.  The few garden tools illustrated communicate ease, thrift, and simplicity.  The shovel is placed in a large pile of dark colored soil, and the pitchfork is leaning against a compost bin indicating a partnership or relationship between the work required and the benefits obtained.  Most prominent in this section are the many plants in all stages of growth.  Unlike the top third of the poster, this section is cluttered and busy.  It is an indication of fertility and abundance. 

The blue and green color scheme appropriately mirror the colors of the Earth herself.  The images, text, and even the suggestion being made by the meaning of the words are all inviting without being overwhelming.  The message is communicated without uncomfortable pressure or judgement, but with casual persuasion. 

Through the use of creative design and word choice the audience is implicitly made aware of the desired outcomes of composting, which in this case are dirt and zero-waste.  Eureka! Recycling is successful in communicating these messages in an accessible, playful, visual format. 

"Zero-Waste Composting." Eureka! Recycling, 18 May 2013, http://makedirtnotwaste.org/why-compost/zero-waste-composting. Accessed 26 May 2018.

Composting for Beginners: History & Basics

I have a big family.  My husband and I have five children.  We are relatively health conscious, so we consume a lot of fresh produce.  Not only that, we raise our own animals.  We have cows, dogs, chickens, horses, sheep, a rabbit, the works.  It goes without saying that we produce a lot of waste.  I have heard about composting, but I want to learn more.  How did this whole composting thing get started? What exactly is backyard composting? Why do people do it? How do I get started?

I learned from the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, www.epa.gov, that food scraps and yard waste make up between 20 and 30 percent of what American’s throw away.  That seems like a lot, and seems like an accurate estimate for my family.  The EPA explains that “making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.” If my family can utilize our waste to create something that we can benefit from rather than harming the environment, I want to learn more.

On the surface it seems like backyard composting is at worst a strange practice for a cult-like few and at best a fleeting fad.  What is the real backstory? Well, according to the University of Illinois Extension, composting has basically been around forever.  There is evidence of composting in Ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, and Arabia.  Ancient civilizations in North America also utilized composting, and even the farmers of New England would mix fish and muck in compost piles.  In the early 20^th century with the development of chemical fertilizers, agriculture increasingly turned to chemicals over compost.  With the publication of An Agriculture Testament in 1943 by British Agronomist Sir Albert Howard, interest in organic methods and benefits of compost were renewed.  These methods are becoming increasingly popular today.

According to the EPA’s explanation Composting at Home, all composting requires three basic ingredients: browns, such as twigs and dead leaves, greens, like fruit and vegetable scraps, and water.  These three ingredients are layered with the browns providing the carbon, the greens providing the nitrogen, and the water providing the moisture.  Sounds interesting, but what are the benefits?  For me personally, one of the coolest things is that compost reduces the need for the use of chemical fertilizers.  It also suppresses plant disease and pests, and reduces what goes into the landfill. 

The steps under How to Compost At Home on the EPA’s website make it sound pretty simple.  The five bullet points include selecting a dry, shady location near a water source, layering browns and greens making sure that larger pieces are chopped up, adding water as you go, mixing grass clippings and making sure fruit and vegetable waste is buried at least 10 inches, and then adding a tarp on top to keep the pile moist if you want.  The conclusion is that, “When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years.”

Learning about the history, benefits, and components of backyard composting makes me eager to get started.  If I can help my family utilize our waste for our own benefit as well as the benefit of the environment, I think it is worth the effort.

Works Cited:

Friend, Duane and Smith, Martha A. Composting for the Homeowner: History of Composting. University of Illinois Extension, pars. 1-5, https://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/history.cfm. Accessed 19 May 2018.

Composting at Home. United States Environmental Protection Agency, pars. 1-4, www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home. Accessed 19 May 2018.

Let's Get Started!

I'm not a composter, but I'm about to become one.  I am a mother of 5 children in Central Utah where recycling facilities are non-existent.  We raise cows, chickens, horses, dogs, sheep and an occasional pig or rabbit.  We eat fresh produce every single day.  We produce a lot of organic waste at this house!  I'm excited to learn about backyard composting, and post about my experiment as I go.