As this week is International Compost Awareness Week, anyone with a creative streak and passion for composting should think about entering the event’s video and poster competitions.
There are annual contests to find an inspiring video (open to youngsters aged 10 – 13) and a poster (open to anyone 14 or older) to promote the event. The aim is to find fun and educational ways to promote compost use and organics recycling.
The contests run every year from September 1st to November 1st so there’s still plenty of time to think about designing an entry to promote the event next year.
The winner of the video contest this year is 11-year-old Magna Iacomella Paz from Argentina.
She says: ‘I participated because I realised that composting is something interesting.
‘I had not realised that throughout my life I have been composting a lot because since I was a little girl I have been separating waste. My dad talks to me a lot about compost and he tells me that when he was little he didn’t separate the organics or prepare the compost.
‘It seems crazy to me because then fruits and vegetables were less healthy. I think it’s weird to throw a banana peel in the trash.
‘The concept of my video is that composting is a circular thing. It starts and if you continue it never ends.’
Magna received help for her fabulous 30-second video from an 11-year-old friend and her little sister, aged 6.
This year’s poster winner is Jun Qi Tan, from Singapore, who is an illustrator with a passion for regenerative gardening and composting. She tends her family’s garden but also helps out at community ones, as well as donating surplus produce to her local community when she is able.
Through her art she hopes to raise awareness of the integral role that soil and compost play in healthy food systems and a healthy planet.
The beautiful plant at the heart of Jun’s poster is the ancient grain amaranth, commonly grown in Southeast Asia.
The theme of this year’s event is For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food…Compost! The intention is to show how compost can play a role in feeding the world. By recycling organics into compost and using it on farmlands, healthier soil is created that produces healthier food and higher yields. Compost also reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides, improves water quality and conserves water, as well as storing carbon in soil – helping to mitigate climate change.
Saving the earth and feeding its people – compost truly has superpowers!
Jun and Magna’s winning contributions will be enjoyed by a huge international audience this week. Perhaps next year that could be you?
For details see ICAW Poster Contest (compostfoundation.org)
