Georgia Southern’s Black Gold

July 27, 2015

Over the past five weeks, Georgia Southern’s Center for Sustainability (CfS) has partnered with Eagle Dining and Facilities Services to begin a compost program on campus. The compost process begins in the dining facilities by collecting organic waste such as coffee grounds, egg shells and orange peels. The organic waste is then mixed off-campus with green materials such as leaves, wood chips and fresh grass clippings. Eventually, bacteria will break down the materials, creating a dark brown, nutrient-rich substance that looks like soil. “It’s like Georgia Southern’s own black gold,” said Lissa Leege, biology professor and director of the CfS. The CfS hopes to use food waste from the dining commons to create a nutrient-rich soil that can assist food growth within the campus garden. The compost could also be used by other facilities on campus, including the Garden of the Coastal Plain. “Everything that is thrown away here at Georgia Southern is trucked away 120 miles to a landfill,” said Leege. “Whatever we can defer from that landfill is a really important step in Georgia Southern’s path toward sustainability.” Because it takes two to four months for the composting process to complete, there is currently no material ready to be used. However, Leege is pleased with the success of this pilot study and hopes it will provide information to help Georgia Southern increase the scale of composting, encompassing all food waste on campus. The pilot study focused on only fruit and vegetable scraps for compost production. This August, the CfS plans to visit the University of Georgia to get an understanding of how they process all food waste produced there -- including meat and dairy products -- into compost. Scott Blair, the graduate student overseeing this project said, “The partnership with Eagle Dining and Facilities Services is what allows this program to happen. The kitchen workers are the ones who separate the fruit and vegetable scraps we use in the compost and Facilities Services transports it to our composting site.” Currently, the campus gardening program has produced close to 50 pounds of produce with compost that they have imported. With almost 2,000 pounds of food composted, the CfS is optimistic that they can increase the amount of food produced on campus. “These are the student’s sustainability fees at work,” said Leege. There are plenty of opportunities for volunteering, so to get involved please contact: cfs@georgiasouthern.edu