Composting used to be present at Sierra Nevada University and was made available for students to utilize around campus. Once the pandemic started, it fell off and wasn't given effort or attention anymore and is still currently not in use. For a school where a majority, if not all, of students and faculty care about the well-being of the environment, there needs to be more action taken to put in practices that contribute to reducing our waste.

Not only is composting extremely helpful in limiting our waste output, it has many other positive impacts for being such a simple process:

• When organic waste sits in landfills, it creates methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. If it were to be composted, methane emissions would be significantly reduced. 
• Compost can also reduce/eliminate the need for chemical fertilizer since it can be used as an alternative. 
• Compost helps aid reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by improving contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils. 
• Compost can be used to remediate soils that have been contaminated by hazardous waste in a cost efficient manner.
• Compost provides cost saving over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.
• It increases water retention in soils.
• And it provides carbon sequestration. 

Sierra Nevada University already has some of the supplies and materials needed for composting. There will be a few additional costs to ensure that we do have the means to be able to carry out these practices. The compost bin method would be most suitable for the Sierra Nevada University campus. It is a small-space friendly and low-maintenance way to compost that will be easy for students and faculty to utilize and upkeep. It also keeps out wild animals so then it won’t be harmful to them. For this process, a group of willing student will need to: 

• Install a three bin/box system in your yard
• Collect browns & lay them down as base layer
• Collect “greens” & add them to brown layer
• Add browns & greens regularly (1:2)
• Ensure heap remains moist (like a damp sponge)
• When internal temperature peaks at 160℉, switch compost contents into the second bin
• Repeat until bin contents have “cooked” through and you are left with a third bin full of completed compost

There is already a group of students willing and wanting to put in the work to bring back composting, there just needs to be the funding and approval from the school to carry out this project. 

Composting would be a great project to provide students with a hands-on learning experience about what they can do to help the environment. It is a very beneficial process that will also show the values of the school in a proactive way. These are all reasons why it is important we bring back composting to our small community.