News and Events
Composting for a Sustainable Campus
October 24, 2006
Composting is an essential part of Washington College's culture of sustainability. Learn more about the process involved in each stage outlined below.
Part One: Colchester
Colchester Farms near Galena is one of the many local farms that provides fresh produce for the dining hall.
The fields at the farm on a beautiful late summer day.
A row of cherry tomatoes.
Broccoli grows in large clumps hidden by greens.
Rows of lettuce which may end up in the WC salad bar grow in the sun.
Part Two: Food Preparation
Though students rarely see what goes on in the kitchen, the prep that takes place behind the scenes is an integral aspect of every meal. Below, dining hall staff place the final touches on the annual Oktoberfest dinner.
Kimberly Hutchinx explains the selection for the night.
De Andre Redding arranges the fresh vegetables and baked apples.
Rhonda Boyer manages the pizza and grill station.
Gloria Thomas adds more fresh lettuce to the salad bar.
Deborah Hynson takes another tray of cabbage streudel from the oven.
James Shepherd prepares the potato pancakes for the night.
Part Three: Dining
Students in the dining hall enjoy the efforts of the hardworking staff.
Aliina Lahti '09 cuts into a baked apple.
Secretary/Cashier Jenny Kaehler samples the selection for the evening.
Matt the Red '07 and Ann Trebitz '07 prepare for dinner.
Part Four: Compost
Leftover scraps from food prep and from student meals are transported to the compost pile behind Building and Grounds, where they are added to the mix of leaves and other decomposing food scraps. Eventually they will break down into a rich soil which groundskeepers will use in WC landscaping.
Samantha Bulkilvish '09, Emily Richardson '07, Kascie Herron '07, and Sarah McCarthy '07 from the Student Environmental Alliance help Groundskeeper Chris Rainer manage the compost.
Kascie Herron '07 and Sarah McCarthy '07 shuffle the pile for maximum aeration.
Groundskeeper Chris Rainer and students from the Student Environmental Alliance track the progress of the compost by measuring temperature, carbon to nitrogen ratios, potassium, and pH.
Scraps are chopped into smaller pieces for faster decomposition before being blended with the rest of the compost.
Sarah "Composting is my favorite time of the week" McCarthy '07 gathers soil samples for testing while Kascie Herron '07 and Emily Richardson '07 look on.
The first areas to use compost were the gardens outside Miller Library and William Smith Hall.
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