Solana Center for Environmental Innovation Honored with National Organics Diversion Program of the Year Award

Esteemed national organization US Compost Council recognizes local environmental leader and Encinitas non-profit for impacts in composting education and program implementation SAN DIEGO – The United States Composting Council (USCC) awarded the esteemed achievement award for Organics Diversion Program of the Year to Solana Center for Environmental Innovation which pioneered the first comprehensive curbside recycling…

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Compost: It’s Alive!

The physical and chemical conditions in a compost heap seem logical if you think about what compost really is: an enormous pile of food for billions of minute organisms. These microorganisms have certain chemical requirements, including carbon for energy, nitrogen to build proteins, and oxygen for respiration. The most numerous organisms in a compost pile…

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Learnings from a Master Composter Course

These observations were originally shared by Kaitlin Mitchell of Rutabega Education and have been edited for cohesiveness. Solana Center’s Master Composter courses are a unique opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding of the art and science of the composting process and empower participants to share this knowledge and passion with others. One participant in…

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What is an Aerated Static Pile (ASP)?

Have you seen us mention ASP compost before and wondering what it means? ASP stands for aerated static pile which is a powerful system that uses large pipes to circulate air from fans through the pile, eliminating the need to physically aerate the composting organic material. This system can manage large quantities of waste and makes it particularly suitable…

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5 Ways to Heat Up Your Compost Pile – Even in Winter!

Want to get finished compost faster? You may want to try increasing the internal temperature of your backyard bin! Contrary to popular belief, compost piles do not heat up or drop in temperature due to atmospheric conditions (i.e. sun exposure, warm weather or cold weather) but rather, as a result of heat generation by specialized…

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Construya Su Propio Contenedor de Lombrices

Crees que no tienes espacio para hacer una composta — jardín chico, apartamento o habitante de condo? ¿Qué te parece un contenedor de lombrices? ¡Vamos, no hagas esa cara! Es fácil hacer un contenedor de lombrices. No huelen mal, son una buena forma de reciclar comida y es muy divertido (a los niños les encantan).…

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From the Rotline: What are the white things in my worm bin?

Rotline Question:  What are the white things in my worm bin? Answer: Spot something unfamiliar in your worm bin? Don’t fret, you are likely to find many organisms other than worms in your worm bin! Like backyard composting, you will see a diverse, interdependent community of large and small organisms. They serve as food for each other,…

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Secondhand compost bins take recycling to the next level

At Solana Center, we live the values of reduce, reuse, and recycle in all forms. This spurred the idea to offer our pre-loved bins to the community at reduced prices at our store. This is a solution to both provide residents with an opportunity to give their compost bins another life if they aren’t being…

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