Community as Compost

By Dana Stark
Nonprofit Studies Program, Rhode Island College
Providence, Rhode Island

Take the apple peel and core from the afternoon snack, the skins from the evening’s mashed potatoes, the rind from the season’s last watermelon, day old coffee grounds from the pot, celery ends from the tuna salad, hay clippings from the hen house (moist and pungent with droppings), broken egg shells from Sunday brunch, greasy gristle from Saturday’s barbeque steak, moist maple leaves raked up from the front yard; take all of these cast off remnants that are seemingly random and dissimilar things and place them in a corner of the back yard next to the garage; tend to this pile of seemingly random and dissimilar things by periodic turning and folding; add more seemingly random and dissimilar things, and wait…an amazing thing happens: one day, that pile of seemingly random and dissimilar things becomes a dark mound of fertile dirt; a complex, yet singular, mound of dirt - a sum of all its parts, teeming with life and ready to be used to plant summer tomatoes, peas and squash; to fertilize the giant pumpkins to be grown for the contest at the fair; to be the snack bar for the foraging chickens rustling out the earthworms, and so on.

Composting, while a natural occurrence is the intentional and managed decomposition of seemingly random and dissimilar organic matter whose by-product is fertile compost (soil) for gardens and landscaping. Community as compost represents this concept of intentional management of an amalgam of individuals which, functioning together as a whole reveals something superior and, in some cases unrecognizable, to the originating components.

To elaborate on the suggestion that community, like compost, is the sum of all parts, where individual components transcend themselves to become part of a greater whole (good), is to imagine that these components are not limited to tangible things (like people and places) but also represent the intangible: ideas, dreams, beliefs, cultures, intentions and resources. This vision of community reflects an unlimited potential to grow, to evolve and to transform into something greater than its individual sources. The end product is organic and fertile and poised to enhance the experience of the whole as well as all of its parts.

Witnessing the natural yet purposeful transformation of garbage into fertilizer fosters the notion of the interconnectivity of all things; the continuous natural cycle of life (rebirth) and how diverse forces tended with careful consideration can influence outcomes and move mountains. Community, as a whole, is made better for the individuals that make it up and the more diverse the source (ethnic, culture, belief system, nationality, education level, economic class), the richer and more productive should be the end result. Just as compost requires intentional management, so does community. Without the effort to gather scraps and assist the decomposition process, the ingredients of the compost pile would be no more than so much smelly garbage, headed to the land fill.

The implication of community as compost is the notion that some natural processes need assistance from watchful caretakers to achieve transformative possibilities. The process begins with intention, is guided by social structures and is managed by community leaders. The concept is that the myriad of contributing factors within a community will coalesce and develop in new and ingenious ways, over time. The success of this transformation is directly attributed to thoughtful oversight and careful nurturing combined with a judicious infusion of additional resources. The result of this process is the bedrock of fertility, creativity and growth from which a community can draw to enhance its own physical and mental well being.

So, get started, here is just one idea: begin a community garden in your neighborhood with tasks and work hours divided among families, groups and/or streets. Poll the residents to find out wish lists of vegetables and fruits, promising a multi-cultural selection. Circulate a donation can to assist in purchasing supplies and seeds. Pick a spot for a compost pile and have weekly drop off days for neighbors to discard organic scraps. Divide the harvest amongst the caretakers and plan distribution of excess to local food pantries. Offer preparation tips and recipes, for the common place as well as the more exotic vegetables and fruits. Involve the local school by offering field trip destinations and winter seed gestation projects. Hold an annual community garden cookout to celebrate the harvest and showcase various dishes made with the community grown produce. Share your success with other neighborhoods and adjoining communities. Revel in how, together as a community, you can accomplish so much more than alone, as individuals.