Join the UCRRA Recycling Outreach Team in celebrating International Compost Awareness Week by learning about Vermicomposting and Making Seed Bombs! Seed bombs are small, round clods of clay, compost, and wildflower seeds. Seed bombs can be tossed outdoors to encourage the growth of wildflowers and attract pollinators. Participants will get to make their own seed bombs using compost made by UCRRA!

This class will be hosted at the Woodstock Public Library and facilitated by the UCRRA Recycling Outreach Team.  Before seeing inside a live worm bin, participants will hear a brief presentation about composting and the benefits of using compost in the garden. Participants will then be able to observe the worms, identify worms at each stage of their lifecycle, and learn how to compost with worms. Then, educators will lead participants in a hands-on craft activity to make “Seed Bombs,” which will incorporate the benefit of pollinators. All craft materials will be provided. This FREE workshop is suitable for children ages 7 and up, and parental supervision is advised.

TO SIGN UP: Class size is limited. Email Hollie@woodstock.org to sign up or click the button below.

Accessibility: A wheelchair accessible ramp is available to enter the main library. Accessible parking is available to the side of the building, and additional parking spots are available across the street. This program will take place upstairs, where there is no elevator or lift. Masks and social distancing are not required at this time, but they are recommended.

We strive to offer equal program opportunities. Educational resources in Spanish are available by request. If you require any special accommodations or have questions about this program, please contact Tanesia White, Recycling Educator, at TWHI@UCRRA.ORG or 845-336-3336.

We’re Celebrating Compost Awareness Week!

About ICAW: International Compost Awareness Week  is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. It’s celebrated nationwide, internationally, and officially across New York Stare each year during the first full week of May. The goal of ICAW is for communities everywhere to raise public awareness about the many benefits of composting and how to make and use compost to regenerate soils. Visit the New York Compost Awareness Week page for more information about local programs, events, and initiatives.

2023 Theme: For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food…Compost! Each year, a new theme for ICAW is chosen. The 2023 theme was chosen based on a serious world-wide issue that every nation, unfortunately, experiences: hunger. As part of the ICAW committee’s global discussion with our international partners around the world, we spoke the same language, and all wanted to promote a unified theme – aligning a topic important to each country while emphasizing our work with compost. The chosen 2023 theme best reflects the goal of focusing on how compost can have a role in helping feed the world, by making our soil healthier which produces healthier food. How does compost help? By recycling organics into compost and using it on our farmlands we create healthy soils that produce healthier food and higher yields. It also reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides, improves water quality and conserves water, as well as stores carbon in soil – helping to reduce climate change. Compost not only helps the environment but also helps to decrease food shortages experienced around the world. For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food…Compost!

This year’s winner of the ICAW 2023 Poster Contest is Jun Qi Tan, an illustrator and storyteller from Singapore.