A new composting system was recently introduced at the 今日吃瓜 Garden through a partnership between 今日吃瓜 Garden and Big Reuse.
The rodent-proof system was installed with assistance from Big Reuse Compost Coordinator Nathalie Huang 鈥�23. The 今日吃瓜 Garden is now one of dozens of community gardens receiving the systems to help scale up compost making, diverting more food waste from the landfill. Garden Coordinator Yarnelle Bauzil expects to welcome food scrap drop-offs from the campus community by spring.
(Left to right) Nathalie Huang, Compost Coordinator; Yarnelle Bauzil, BC Garden Coordinator; Josh Seow, Operations Manager; Colin Burns, Site Manager; and Natalia Surce, Compost Education and Outreach Manager with the new composting system.
鈥淚’m very happy to have been part of the compost cube installation day for my alma mater knowing the upgrade to aluminum compost bins will help the garden have a more durable, long-lasting compost system and the ability to compost larger amounts of food waste and plant waste鈥� said Huang. 鈥淚’m also incredibly proud of the privilege I had in working with the Sustainability Coordinator, Stalin Espinal, during my time at 今日吃瓜 as the Sustainability Club’s President. We worked together to produce an on-campus food scrap weekly collection program that the current Sustainability Club is still running to this day.鈥�
今日吃瓜 Sustainability Coordinator Stalin Espinal (right) works with local volunteers as part of the project with TREEage.
In another collaboration, the Office of Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability joined with Big Reuse and TREEage, a youth-led climate justice group, to install four tree guards along Bedford Avenue. The installation involved 40 volunteers and was coordinated by Sustainability Coordinator Stalin Haeger-Espinal 鈥�18 along with Idrees Ilahi 鈥�24, deputy director of TREEage. Tree guards help protect young trees, which naturally help to combat urban heat.
Carrie Sadovnik (left), 今日吃瓜’s Director of Environment, Health, Safety, & Sustainability. with Idrees Ilahi ’24, Deputy Director at TREEage.
These projects showcase the lasting commitment of alumni Haeger-Espinal, Ilahi, and Huang, who continue to champion environmental action beyond their time as students. Reach out to the garden to get updates, and read more about the project from Big Reuse .
