We Americans are living with an unprecedented absence of leadership. In the Deep South, we have lived with this void for most of our history, so we’re a little more used to it than the rest of the nation— but that doesn’t make it OK. In the face of Congressional deadlock, soaring national debt, secular/religious strife, rogue policy actions by state legislatures, mistrust of the police, declines in public education funding, exorbitant college costs, internet predators and trolls, crumbling labor unions, global warming, and new questions about which bathroom to use, the Passive Activist series offers ideas for how ordinary people can create and implement positive change in our own lives. Movements are made up of people.

8.  Compost.

Composting is one of the easiest way to keep garbage out of a landfill. It is so easy— in fact, it is painfully easy. Putting fruit and vegetable scraps, like potato peelings or black bananas, aside in a small, separate kitchen container, and then dumping them later into an outdoor compost bin requires almost no effort, just a change in habits.

In the chapter, “The Benefits of Compost,” The Rodale Book of Composting explains:

Compost is more than fertilizer, more than a soil conditioner. It is a symbol continuing life. Nature has been making compost since the first appearance primitive life on this planet, eons before humans first walked the earth.

Discarding of natural materials in a way that nature can reuse them only makes sense.

There are different ways to compost – using one or multiple bins, for example – so finding a way that works for your home is definitely possible.  (Personally, I wouldn’t suggest composting inside your house or apartment, because compost has a very distinct smell.) The main things are keeping it warm, wet, and well-fed, all of which aren’t hard at all. Keep your compost covered, dump new materials regularly, and turn it over often.