Laura Cook helps Compost for Good in the Malone area. (Provided photo)

Compost for Good — in partnership with Clarkson University, AdkAction and the Adirondack North Country Association — Thursday announced the launch of its new series of education and outreach campaigns.

The goal of the campaigns is to enhance community engagement and knowledge about food waste reduction and community scale composting practices. Through the active involvement of four dedicated Compost Liaisons, this initiative aims to empower local residents and businesses to adopt more closed loop waste management practices in and around four North Country communities: Canton, Potsdam, Malone and Lake Placid.

As part of the campaign, Compost Liaisons Cory Vinyard (Potsdam), Lauren Prentice (Canton), Tammy Morgan (Lake Placid) and Laura Cook (Malone) will be conducting a variety of activities including presentations, one-on-one consultations, tabling events, and media interviews. These efforts are tailored to increase awareness and provide practical solutions in food waste management and compost generation within the community. The project is supported by a Rural Business Development Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

“Our goal is to not only educate the community about the environmental benefits of composting but also to explore and support the economic opportunities it creates,” said Jennifer Perry of Compost for Good. “We believe that by engaging directly with individuals and local businesses, we can make a substantial impact in reducing food waste and enhancing soil health in our region.”

In addition to educational outreach, the campaign will focus on promoting local food scrap hauling businesses and other food waste reduction initiatives in the region, including Blue Line Compost in the Tri-Lakes area; Placid Earth residential composting in Lake Placid; North Country Compost in the Canton area; Whitten Family Farm in the Potsdam/Massena area; Cook Family Farm in the Malone area; and River Valley Regeneratives serving the Plattsburgh and Wilmington areas.

By highlighting and supporting these businesses, Compost for Good aims to foster a network of community scale practices that benefit both the local economy and the environment.

“Although the practice of composting can be an easy way to keep food waste out of landfills and reduce our carbon footprint, many people don’t know how composting works, or why it matters,” said Sawyer Bailey, executive director of AdkAction. “Compost for Good is thoughtfully spreading the word across the Adirondacks, while building viability for these small, local businesses. AdkAction is proud to support this work with ANCA at our side.”

Community members and local businesses are invited to participate in upcoming events and learn more about how they can contribute to making the North Country a leader in community-scale solutions for global challenges. Please contact Organics Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Perry at jennifer@adkaction.org to learn more or to be connected to the compost liaison in your community.

Compost for Good is a group of individuals who are committed to “Reimagining Waste.” The group’s vision is a world in which humans positively impact the Earth and its communities by valuing organic waste as a resource. Its mission is to support communities to adopt economically viable and ecologically resilient composting systems and processes through education, outreach, technical support, peer to peer connections and research. In the fall of 2022, ANCA and AdkAction joined forces to expand funding and support for Compost for Good.