There are many ways to compost and many varieties of composters. In fact, it took me almost two years to start composting because I was so overwhelmed by all the options (twirling, spinning, multi-layered, pre-wormed, etc). Forget them all. This is how simple composting can be:

1. Start with a simple composter. We bought a plain $49 bin from The Home Depot, which we put together ourselves. It’s not fancy, it doesn’t spin around or water itself or do any other tricks. It’s just a box that holds compost. And it works. As a bonus, it was made from recycled materials. If you want a completely free option, gather up a bunch of sticks and build your own.
2. Find a place in your yard that gets the most sunlight during the day, and place your composter there. This helps to break the materials down into compost more quickly.
3. You need a blend of “brown” and “green” items to successfully compost. Read the list of things that can and cannot be composted (print one and keep handy until you get comfortable with your knowledge). Meat, bones, grease, etc. are not good compost material because they attract the wrong kind of critters. Items such as greens, carrots, crushed eggshells, tea and coffee grounds are great compost items. They attract worms that feed and break down these items and turn them back into dirt, which you can then use in your flower beds and gardens.
4. One tip: our composter is downstairs, so we cut the top off an old laundry detergent container and keep it right outside the back door, as a “temporary holding bin” for kitchen scraps, which we empty every few days in the main bin.

This is a brief crash course, but you can keep it super simple and get some great compost. I can’t believe how quickly our household items break down into thick, rich soil which we can use in our yard! Between composting and recycling, our entire house now creates a less than half a small kitchen trash bag per week. Do your part – heal our Earth! We’re all counting on you…

For a great starter list of information on composting, check out Wikipedia:

Compost is composed of organic materials derived from plant and animal matter that has been decomposed largely through aerobic decomposition. The process of composting is simple and practiced by individuals in their homes, farmers on their land, and industrially by industries and cities.

Compost is rich in nutrients. It is used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture, and agriculture. The compost itself is beneficial for the land in many ways, including as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer to add vital humus or humic acids, and as a natural pesticide for soil. In ecosystems, compost is useful for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover (see compost uses).

The second answer is always: change your lifestyle to reduce your dependence on oil, and reduce your carbon footprint.

That second answer is such a blanket statement I decided to start a new blog series I’m calling “Heal The Earth” in which we will highlight a few simple things per post that you can do in your daily life to help heal our world. Each thing you do may feel small, but know that your consistent, daily actions combine with mine and those of all our friends and neighbors to create massive positive change.

Without further ado, my first installment is on plastics. Plastics are a wonderful invention, useful for all sorts of things in our daily lives. They’re in plumbing, computers, cell phones, kitchen storage containers, bottles, bags, beach balls, plastic wrap, chairs, appliances, razors, brushes, printers, games, televisions, you name it! And plastics are all petroleum based. Every time you toss a plastic water bottle in the garbage it ends up in a landfill somewhere, probably tucked neatly into a plastic bag, and will take hundreds (possibly thousands) of years to biodegrade.

Here are 3 quick, easy ways reduce your use and disposal of plastics, thereby taking one giant step towards healing our earth:

• Keep a stock of sturdy, reusable bags in your car. Take them in and use them for groceries or on other shopping trips. Eliminate your use of plastic grocery bags.
• Wash/reuse Ziploc bags. Wash bags with warm, soapy water and allow to air dry. These bags will last for dozens of uses, saving you money and reducing waste and petroleum-driven manufacturing, one bag at a time.
• Get yourself several reusable water bottles. I’m a fan of Sigg, but you can get stainless water bottles in most any store these days. Vow to never use another “disposable” plastic water bottle again. If you do, make the extra effort to recycle that material. Avoid taking drinks “to go” from restaurants. If you have your water bottle with you, refill that instead!

I’ll definitely return to plastics in future installments, but if even half of the country implemented these changes, the impact would be phenomenal. If this sounds daunting, try implementing just one of these items. If you’re an overachiever like us, go for all three starting today!

Let’s all work to be more mindful, with every decision we make, that the Earth is precious, and we must value and care for Her, and not take the gifts She gives us for granted.