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Discover Your Ultimate Resource for Bringing the Magic of Composting to Life
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Yes, you read that correctly. Composting is, in fact, magical. Don’t believe in magic? Keep reading…
It would be easy to believe the connection between ocean health and composting is at best, a stretch. In fact, the truth is, every action we take as humans on land, impacts the health of our ocean. Those food scraps you put in your trash? They end up in landfills. More landfill means increased greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere - leading to a warmer ocean.
These are all things we hear about and know we should take action to prevent, but don’t always get around to it. Why? Because behavioral change is hard, really hard.
That’s why 11th Hour Racing has created The Ocean Lovers Guide to Compost. With its fitting title, this colorful and easy-to-read guide explores the basics of composting, with everything you need to get started. As communities around the world rise to the occasion, and science communicators help people understand vital information, The Ocean Lovers Guide to Compost is a fun invitation to think differently about your food scraps and join the almost effortless movement demonstrating that land + sea is in fact the greatest and most magical love story of all.
Read on to hear from two people whose expertise helped shape this guide—your ultimate resource for kicking off your composting journey: Michelle Carnevale, president of 11th Hour Racing, and Brad Cheever, Ecosystems Manager at Ocean Hour Farm.
Brad Cheever and Michelle Carnevale feature in The Ocean Lovers Guide to Compost. ©11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
From ocean scientist to soil advocate
Even the most experienced people don’t immediately recognize the connection between behavior on land and how it affects our ocean. Michelle Carnevale has a background in marine science, but it wasn’t until she had her “ah ha” moment, that she decided to take concrete action.
“I had spent years focused on ocean science and policy, and I had no idea how composting could be tied to the ocean, which was very classic, siloed thinking of me,” she explains.
“But the truth is, the connection is really undeniable. At its core, composting is nature’s recycling and the process not only creates healthy soil for plants, but it plays a vital role in storing carbon and actually drawing carbon out of the atmosphere into the ground.
“Composting also enhances ocean health, specifically by helping to filter runoff from land before it enters local waterways. So in this way, building healthy soil is not only a climate solution, but it’s also an ocean health solution. Once I realized the impact it had, there was no going back.”
While composting might not seem like a natural fit for an ocean-focused brand, Michelle explains that this thinking was “based on our mission to really foster connections for healthy sea, land and people.”
Whether it’s through events, races, videos, or a network of grantees, “we really believe that when you feed the earth, you nurture the ocean,” Michelle says.
Michelle Carnevale
"Building healthy soil is not only a climate solution, but it’s also an ocean health solution."
Brad offers his top tips for making compost at home. ©11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
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Real-world impact
11th Hour Racing now promotes and funds composting across every area of its work and has been supporting composting initiatives in Rhode Island since 2019.
Momentum has steadily grown from the early days of limited awareness to soil health now gaining recognition across the state and region, not just as a waste solution, but as a climate solution too.
In that time, through working with restaurants, universities, companies and sporting events, 13 million pounds of food waste has been diverted from landfills. And the impact doesn’t stop there.
“As of today,” Michelle adds, “we’re also looking to support 50 different schools to have composting in their lunchrooms - which is great - as well as redistributing food that’s perfectly edible to those who need it, and not making food waste out of it.
“We see so much opportunity in working with kids in schools in particular. Teaching this behavior when they’re really young so they become lifelong composters, and bring that knowledge home to their parents, friends, or neighbors so they can teach others. It’s really powerful.
“And I don’t know if anyone has ever spoken to a passionate elementary school student — they are very persuasive. They can guilt an adult into doing almost anything. So they’re great little advocates.”
11th Hour Racing now promotes and funds composting across every area of its work. ©11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
11th Hour Racing now promotes and funds composting across every area of its work. ©11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
The next generation
One person who knows all about teaching the next generation of compost advocates is Brad Cheever, Ecosystems Manager at the 44-acre Ocean Hour Farm in Rhode Island.
Brad, who features in the guide offering his top tips for compost application, regularly passes on his expertise to farmers that attend workshops at the Ocean Hour Farm soil lab to learn how to use a microscope to check the health of their soil.
He also helps run farm workshops for kids ranging from five years old to college age who visit on school trips. With live animals in the mix, Brad has to be prepared for anything!
“We had a soil lab for the younger kids and there was a really cool rooster ‘Sir Charles’ in the barn and the kids were loving him,” Brad laughs.
“I was trying to get them into the soil lab and it wasn’t until they saw a nematode that they realized there was something cool in the soil too!”
Brad Cheever
“I see a lot more people now doing home composting bins. It’s really fun and easy."
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Brad explains how fresh compost has many advantages for both soil and ocean health. ©Maaike Bernstrom 11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
Once the kids have seen the animals and learned about healthy living soil, attention quickly turns to how to make it via compost.
“Having the kids at the farm is really fun because they have tons of energy,” Brad says. “We try to get some educational bits in there about composting and while it’s hard to get their attention at first, once you do, they understand what it is and are really into it.”
Through regular activities like this, Brad is seeing the momentum shift right before his eyes. When everyone comes together, long-lasting positive change becomes possible.
“I see a lot more people now doing home composting bins,” he says. “It’s really fun and easy. You can go from having the food scraps on your dinner table to finished compost in just a couple of turns of your pile.
“Seeing that finished compost, the before and after, is cool to see.”
Michelle Carnevale
“What we don’t realize is that composting is quite literally feeding the earth, it’s nature’s solution to climate change."
Every small, collective action is a step in the right direction. ©11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
Nature has a simple climate solution right under our feet. ©11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
The magic is contagious
From our conversation with Michelle and Brad, one thing has become very clear: Whether you’re a compost novice or a compost expert, the impact is the same. You are playing your part in not only improving your own health and environment but also that of your community—and by extension, the world. Every small, collective action is a step in the right direction.
“What we don’t realize is that composting is quite literally feeding the earth, it’s nature’s solution to climate change. Something so accessible can make the biggest difference,” concludes Michelle.
“I think when we think about climate solutions, we often think about things like renewable energy and technology, but the fact is, nature has the solution right under our feet, and we just need to support it.”
The Ocean Lovers Guide to Compost has been created with passion, consideration and depth, allowing the user to take what they need to create their first spark of magic. So go on - what are you waiting for?
Download The Ocean Lovers Guide to Compost here.
Hero image credit: ©Maaike Bernstrom 11thHourRacing / OceanHourFarm
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