How your waste can change the world | Ashley Baxter | TEDxUQ
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCwYSeiDA8g Video ID: dCwYSeiDA8g ============================================================ Transcriber: Dania MS Reviewer: Hani Eldalees Climate change is the most complicated challenge of our lifetime. A massive global challenge comprised of countless different problems. But what if I told you, that there was a sustainability super solution that could help address the problems of waste, agriculture and emissions all at once? A solution that was affordable and accessible to everyone, everywhere. Compost. So, I’ve been an environmentalist since before I can remember. Volunteering, protesting, anything I could do to help fight the climate crisis. But not once, during 15 years of activism, did I come across anyone talking about how compost, this unassuming but powerful solution, has the potential to play a major role in combating climate change. Honestly, though, before I simply stumbled across this solution, before I started researching compost, before I founded a compost technology startup, I thought composting was gross. I think a lot of us have that perception, we know that it’s pretty good for the planet, but, come on, a pile of rotting food waste, that is not as exciting as a Tesla, is it? Today, I want to talk to you about exactly why that isn’t true. Why one of our best solutions to the climate crisis is being thrown away. And how we can change that, using our most cutting edge technologies. Firstly, let’s clear up what composting is. Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic waste, into a natural fertiliser. Given time all organic materials decompose as various microorganisms consume and break them down into their constituent elements. Composting is when we actively manage this decomposition, by creating optimum conditions for these microorganisms to thrive And to transform this waste into a kind of supercharged soil, rich and nutrients and diverse microbial populations. Composting is a dynamic fusion of a naturally occurring process with human ingenuity and an essential tool to tackle some of our major climate challenges. The most obvious problem composting solves is recycling organic waste. Every year, we collectively send over one billion tonnes to landfill and another two billion from agriculture. Once sent there, it produces immense amounts of what are called high warming potential greenhouse gases, which have far greater heat trapping than carbon and are responsible for around five percent of global emissions. These are the major a methane trapping heat at around 30 times greater than carbon and nitrous oxide at around three hundred times stronger. And this is on top of the severe air and water pollution that it causes to surrounding ecosystems. But composting, it stops all of this by managing the decomposition in a way that prevents both pollution and emissions. Composting, it also drastically improves our destructive and extractive agricultural practices. Over half of all the food we eat is grown using chemical fertilizers, non-renewable resources that are mined and manufactured. These fertilizers speed up crop growth but end up depleting soil of essential micronutrients microorganisms and moisture leading to chronic desertification, drought, famine and less efficient yields every single harvest. Study after study, though, has proven that the end product of compost, that supercharged soil, can completely restore any type of land to preagricultural quality. And then, there is the nail in the coffin of climate change, the capture and long term storage of carbon emissions. And yes, compost can do that too. An experiment conducted over two decades by the University of California, found that by increasing the microbial content of soil, its capacity for carbon capture is significantly higher and more stable when compost is applied. They found that covering less than a tenth of California's agricultural land, in a few inches of compost would remove and store carbon equal to the state’s entire home and business energy emissions. So, it stops our waste going to landfill. It improves our soil and it can literally pull our emissions out of the air. And yet, in a time when we are desperate for answers. Practical, immediate, affordable answers. Only around seven percent of organic waste is being composted. If compost is so incredible, why don't we all do it? Why doesn't it come up nearly enough in the climate conversation? Why did I think it was so gross when I first heard about it? What I’ve discovered is that there are three simple reasons why we don’t all compost. Solve them, and we’re one step closer to solving the climate crisis. Firstly, if anyone here has ever attempted and failed miserably, you’ll know that compost can be confusing or at least confusing to get right. Despite common misconceptions, you don’t just throw a bunch of food scraps into a bin and wait. It takes careful monitoring of the pile´s nutrient ratio, its moisture content and its oxygen levels, which are then influenced by its local climate feedstock profile and so many other factors unique to each. Let's face it, most of us, we just don't have the time or expertise to manage all of those factors correctly. The second reason is that compost is inefficient, sometimes taking years to fully finish breaking down. And when compost is inefficient, it's ineffective. In most cases, the turn over period of a typical batch of small scale composting should be at most three months, with some taking even less. Any longer, and you’ve basically just built a mini landfill in your backyard, complete with all its emissions and pollution. Finally, because it’s so time consuming and confusing, and then when it goes wrong, you can get rats and snakes and smells, compost is unappealing. The unfortunate reality is that for sustainability solutions to be popular they have to be cool. And compost isn´t cool. No one actually really cared that much about electric cars, until Tesla made them look less like a golf cart and more like a top of the line Ferrari. As superficial as it sounds, while compost is still just seen as a pile of rotting food waste, it will never reach the mass market appeal it needs to. All these barriers may not sound like much, they´re enough to prevent most people from becoming composters. But, with today’s technologies, we can overcome them. When I decided to start a compost technology company, I had no formal background in it at all. I didn't study microbiology or waste management. I studied I.T. and business management. But it was exactly that knowledge, that enabled me to see a solution. Until now, we’ve managed compost in a guess and hope of the best kind of way. With quality assessment really going beyond hot equals good and smell equals bad. However, through advanced modern technologies, we can now fully and deeply understand the compositing transformation from food waste to fertilizer. New developments in smart devices, big data analysis and cloud computing can enable us to model, monitor and manage any pile anywhere. My company harnesses these technologies in a small scale composting solution, and we are not alone. Other initiatives in composting innovation include accelerating decomposition to within 48 hours, implementing decentralised composting networks and extracting the biogas energy emitted. Together, we’re working to achieve that end game of organic waste, one hundred percent recycling rates, and restoration into the environment. Before we get carried away though, it’s important to note that, despite my clear obsession with it, compost is not a silver bullet to the climate crisis. But it is something we can all do. Beyond starting your own pile, there are countless ways to become a composter. No matter where you are. For example, a community garden or a neighbor down the road would welcome your waste into their compost. Or collection services from large recyclers and small social enterprises are undoubtedly offered in your area to pick up your organics. Because for the rest of our lives, every day, every single person here will produce organic waste. Compost, it may not be the most common or conventional solution to the climate crisis, but it’s something that we can all do to prevent the impact this waste is having and fully utilize its potential. Every day for the rest of our lives, we will produce this waste. But it has never been easier, more accessible, more affordable, more exciting for everyone, everywhere to be a composter. Because with compost, you can use your waste to stop our landfill pollution, save our soils and cut our carbon emissions. With compost, you can use your waste to change the world. (Applause)