SWMA #1: Woodside Sunnyside Composting
As part of the SWMA newsletter, we are launching a series of profiles of our neighbors in Sunnyside and Woodside, from individuals to community organizations. Our first profile is Woodside Sunnyside Composting!
Who are and what is Woodside Sunnyside Composting?
We are the group of volunteers that operates the composting site in Sunnyside community garden. The site has been operated since 2012. The volunteers come from all walks of life, from Woodside and Sunnyside natives to immigrants. We are all driven by one common idea: helping neighbors take responsibility for their food waste in a sustainable manner.
Why is composting and local gardens important to communities?
Composting is the food waste “management technology” that is by far the most responsible to our environment. When done locally in small sites like ours, it means there is no fossil fuel energy used to transport and process the waste. Since the amount of waste processed is relatively small, there is little risk of nuisance, and it reduces the pollution burden that underserved communities can be exposed to — who live near industrial scale waste processing facilities. Still on an environmental justice approach, food waste when dealt with through landfill or incinerated, produce a great deal of greenhouse gases, while compost produces significantly less greenhouse gazes, and produces . . . well . . . compost, which is a resource that can be used to grow plants, beautify our streets, etc . . . Additionally, during the composting process, the waste transforms in part into compounds that are very tough, and will improve the ability of a soil to absorb and store water, as well as support plant growth.
Gardens are also important for similar reasons, they provide a green space for people to enjoy something else than their computer screen or the concrete that surrounds us. They provide us with important relief from the city, with a small corner of natural space we all need. Some of the gardeners at the Sunnyside community garden will grow a plethora of beautiful flowers, while others will grow foods on their little allotment. This patchwork of plots offer a space to breath for our visitors and members alike. There are plenty of other functions a garden can cover: from the important absorption of stormwater to prevent floods, to producing food that has the lowest possible impact on the environment.
Since the pandemic started, a few gardeners got together to grow food to distribute to the SWMA food pantry, and so far over 200 pounds of foodstuff have been produced and donated, that’s also what a garden can be. And this is why we are trying to get access to the unused city park land on 50th street and 39th avenue, so we can create a community farm dedicated to produce fresh produce for the pantry during the time that the city is not doing the work to make the park accessible to our neighbors.
What are the best ways for neighbors to support your work?
Our neighbors bring us their food scraps, and some of them become the very volunteers who make the operations work! The volunteer processes the food scraps, and 8-12 weeks later, what was once waste is now compost. This compost is used in the garden to beautify the common areas, used by the gardeners, donated to our neighbors, and used to beautify the streets. The continuous support of the community is necessary as without volunteers, or food scraps, no composting is possible!