“Over the past two years, I’ve helped coordinate more than a dozen eager EcoReps to introduce experimental compost buckets into their house kitchens.”

Compost doesn't get a lot of glory. It's the most on-the-ground, humble form of regeneration I can think of and truly a miracle of nature. When I came to Smith, I was amazed to see the dining halls diverting tons of food waste from the landfill by sending it to a local farm to be turned back into soil. But when it came to our houses, all of our cooking waste—fruit and veggie scraps and leftovers—were just rotting in the trash cans in our rooms and kitchens. I saw an opportunity for a simple intervention. Over the past two years, I've helped coordinate more than a dozen eager EcoReps to introduce experimental compost buckets into their house kitchens. We've collected some preliminary weight data and have learned what works best for communication with the house council and housekeepers to make composting a smoothly adopted habit of house sustainability. An apple core or banana peel might be a weird thing to be passionate about, but if we're serious about the bigger picture—a zero-waste Smith—we have to make regeneration, repurposing and reuse accessible, empowering and fun! And it starts at home.