Photo courtesy of Whitpain Township EAC
Composting is one of the six focal points of a Sustainable Property application
The Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) of Whitpain Township was established just two years ago with the aim to advise the board of supervisors and township manager about a wide variety of environmental topics. The Council is able to keep abreast of happenings in all of the various township committees, as well, in order to meet its goal to “promote a variety of community environmental programs and provide education that encourages sustainable practices in the community.”
One of the program’s main projects this year has been the Sustainable Property Program. Through the program, the EAC aims to educate and inspire the local property owners to get involved in this volunteer-only, conservation-oriented approach to lawncare.
“The goal of the program is to preserve Whitpain’s natural environment by promoting native plants, stormwater management, composting, bird-friendly activities, and other related practices,” said the group’s website.
To promote these initiatives, the EAC focuses on six main components:
And to help area residents make their own properties, the EAC also provides the township with helpful tips and hints. This month, via the township’s emailed “Whitpain Wire,” the advice was geared toward those seeking to add “composting” to their list of talents.
More specifically, the EAC provided the best ways to achieve “Garden Gold,” another word for compost. From old leaves, lawn debris, grass clippings, and trimmings found naturally as you care for your yard, to food scraps, coffee grounds, fruit peels, and coffee grounds, which you’ll naturally create from your own kitchen, there are plenty of readily available ingredients at your “disposal,” or avoidance of as it were.
The process for making these scraps into useable compost only involves the addition of a little “elbow grease.” Adding such trimmings to a pile, which you occasionally turn, allowing to air is all that is necessary. Many keep a small reusable can in the kitchen or large plastic bin in the yard to collect the scraps, adding as they fill.
Once you have an aerated pile, you will also want to add small amounts of water (when Mother Nature does not provide via rainy days) to keep your pile damp. The EAC advises you keep it like a “slight moist sponge.”
“Now let Mother Nature work her magic with bacteria and other decomposers to break it down,” said the EAC’s tips in the Wire. “In about six to eight weeks, the result should be a dark, crumbly material that looks and smells like soil. And just like that, you’ve got compost!”
Compost is rich in nutrients, which can help your garden grow, flower beds to flourish, or simply for use as mulch around your trees or brush. It is one of the six main components the EAC encourages to have a Sustainable Property.
To find out more about the Sustainable Property online here, including an application for interested residents. Those scoring a 65% or higher can apply for a metal, Whitpain Sustainable Property yard sign, as well as recognition at a board of supervisors’ meeting, and recognition on the EAC website.
For more information on the Environmental Advisory Council email EAC@whitpaintownship.org or visit its web page at https://www.whitpaintownship.org/450/Environmental-Advisory-Council.
