Environmental care should be practical, communal, and accessible- not dependent on owning land, having extra time, or investing in expensive systems.

That's why I designed the Common Ground Compost Project: an ongoing, hyper local, neighborhood based composting project that focuses on mutual aid through community education, food sovereignty actions, and environmental care.

Sure, other composting services exist locally, but for many people - especially in racialized and lower income neighborhoods- these services are often inaccessible due to service cost, site location, companies having limited or redlined collection routes, poor community rapport, and more. In addition to being generally inaccessible, these services are also very one directional and extractive of the communities that keep them running. CGCP is designed to mutually benefit the community by giving back through fresh food, community education and workshops, neighborhood restoration and relationship-building.

CGCP is in the hood…my hood, specifically. In our community garden, the Blue River Victory Garden, where the collected scraps will be processed and used onsite to support LGBTQIA food sovereignty efforts in the community. This is also where a majority of community education and skill shares will take place when we are not partnering with local gardens and food forests.

What I need:

The crowdfunding goal is $600, which will cover the initial startup costs needed to operate safely, visibly, and efficiently:

•20 reusable 2-gallon buckets for household compost collection

•Labels and signage to ensure clear, hygienic use

•Promotion flyers to reach neighbors and build participation

•(2) large-capacity storage containers for storage and compost intake

•A heavy-duty wagon for transport

•(2) compost tumblers for processing food waste

•A large capacity pump sprayer

•Paver bricks for site organization

•Beneficial plants to deter pests and odors at collection site

My goal is to do a soft launch by March 21st, and to be fully operational by April 30th. We'll start with a pilot program of 10 participants, and build from there.

By supporting this project, you’re helping build local infrastructure that turns waste into soil, individual effort into collective action, and environmental intention into some

thing tangible and shared.