A Downtown Madison Rotarian has helped begin a composting program that is saving vegetable scraps from the landfill while helping local gardeners. 

Dave Edinger attended the Waunakee Rotary meeting to talk about the program. When he joined the club, he noticed at the Park Hotel where meetings were hosted that leftover vegetables from the buffet lunches were thrown in the garbage. The club had a Going Green committee and he approached the members about saving the scraps and providing them to the Frank Allis Community Garden for compost.

He then met with the Allis Garden committee, whose members were wary of food scraps attracting animals and creating an odor, until he convinced them otherwise. 

Eventually, the hotel management agreed to save the scraps in 5-gallon containers that would be left at the alley for Rotarians to pick up. 

Eventually, UW-Madison students began helping, hauling the buckets to the garden on their bikes. 

Dave said decomposition is the most natural thing, and in Africa fertile soil is a measure of a community’s wealth. 

In addition to encouraging soil health, composting keeps the plant material out of the landfill, where the decomposition produces methane, a gas worse for global warming than Co2.

The ingredients for compost include brown materials such as leaves, straw, sticks or even shredded cardboard, greens such as plant food scraps, water and air. 

The trick is to add the ingredients and then stir.

******

Other News: 

-Club members are invited to attend the MyArts and Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra tour at  4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at the new facility on East Washington Avenue. Jim Elvekrog said if members want to carpool, let him know. After the tour, you can catch them at Bear and Bottle on Sherman Avenue. 

-The club is planning the Easter Egg hunt on March 23. Helpers are needed at the Village Center at 4 p.m. March 19 when they’ll stuff 900 bags of candy. If you can donate candy, do so prior to March 19 or bring some to the next Rotary meeting. Volunteers — especially bunnies — are also needed at the event on March 23. 

-Nominations are still being taken for the business person of the year. Contact Paul Cardarellwer with your nomination

Guests: Lieda Rawlins, guest of Ellen Schaaf; Dave Edinger and Zach Harmon, guests of the club. 

Visiting Rotarians: March 17, Ellen Schaaf.

Birthdays: None.

Anniversaries: None.

Greeters: March 14, Tom Kennedy and Ross Mauer; March 21, Sarah Bonk and Ellen Schaaf; March 28, Dave Kennedy and Jean Elvekrog. 

 To sign up to greet or to find out if you are greeting, visit: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054CAAAA2CA7F85-44320149-2023#/