Recycling Challenge: Yard Waste

FACT
Yard waste, consisting of grass, leaves and other garden debris, comprises an estimated 18 percent of the annual municipal waste stream.
PROBLEM
Sending yard waste to the landfill puts an unnecessary seasonal burden on the municipal garbage collection system.  Leaf waste can account for as much as 60 percent to 80 percent of the waste stream in

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1 min read

Agriculture: Earthly Delights

Ed Mullock loves worms so much he’s thinking about sending out holiday cards adorned with Red Wigglers—wearing little Santa hats. Often referred to as “The Worm Guy,” Mullock has become the go-to voice on composting at the Big Green Earth Store, hosting regular presentations at the South Street shop.

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1 min read
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Profile: King of Compost

Urban farmer and MacArthur Grant recipient Will Allen on the importance of greens, worms and moreby Lee Stabert
Everything about Will Allen is big. The pro basketball player turned urban agriculture iconoclast has hands like baseball mitts, and arms like tree trunks. His normal uniform—jeans, baseball hat, hooded sweatshirt with the sleeves removed—only serves to emphasize

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5 mins read
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Local Business: Black Gold

A local company helps Philly businesses jump on the composting bandwagon  by Lee StabertThere is one word showing up left and right on the lips of top urban sustainability and food access experts: compost. To hear them speak of it, the stuff is magic—now it’s just a matter of getting the rest of society on

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2 mins read
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How-To: Compost

Turn waste into black goldby Will DeanIf you’re reading this magazine, you probably have at least have a vague idea of what composting is. The natural way to make nutritious (for plants, that is) fertilizer, composting was once a standard practice for every farmer, gardener and consumer.

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3 mins read