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03/06/2025

Demo day! Fun times at the AORA demo day yesterday.

This morning I will present on ‘attitudes to food waste composting’. Wish me luck.

25/05/2025

My happy place.

One of my favourite things about turning compost is how it makes me stronger.

One of my other favourite things about it is the route it provides to a higher appreciation of organic chemistry.

23/04/2025

It’s a grey, rainy day but I still couldn’t pass by this opportunity on my lunch break while WFH: peeking through the temp fencing at the cut away after a recent demolition in our street to check out the soil profile.

Have I mentioned how much I love science? It turns a seemingly simple pile of dirt or the subtle differences in local grassland flora into rich stories rather than bland ‘ordinary’ landscapes.

If it makes you wonder, it’s a wonder!

13/04/2025

No need to chop. I love how getting the biological and biophysical efficiency right plays against mechanical capabilities in composting. Some of these veggies were still in an edible state, not beginning to rot at all. But they will get slow cooked in a hot heap and then the fibrous parts will also be tackled in short order by the impressive biological efficiency.

And remember, it’s not just about breaking stuff down, it’s also that super intriguing question of where the end products end up - molecularly speaking.

Some have said that ‘it’s good of me’ to keep doing a little voluntary composting on the side even now that I have a desk job. But we all have our motivations! Mine is pondering one of the greatest scientific mysteries of all time, and seeing what I learn play out in real time.

02/04/2025

I thought it was warm for March…
Australia just had its hottest March on record. At least my self seeded capsicum enjoyed it. It was pumping out fruit all month despite the caterpillars, the irregular hand watering and the fact that it stole pot space from the curry leaf bush.

Good soil makes lazy gardening easier 😁
And apparently very strong capsicum plants.

And we’re going to need some strong, resilient soil the way things are going.

16/03/2025

Nagging vs reminders.

Firstly, grass clippings contribute way more to eutrophication than Autumn leaves do.

Now that that is out the way, this post celebrates a ‘small win’ in that my husband now sweeps the gutters after whipper snipping the edge of the nature strip.

We all know by now that nagging is counter-productive, and doesn’t motivate anyone to do anything. Yet plenty of Govt messaging campaigns still come off as nagging.

We all also know that feeling where someone has just reminded you about something “you should do X”
and it’s super frustrating because:

a) You were just about to do said thing, or
b) You know you should do said thing and had been reminding yourself but still forgot, or
c) You are feeling guilty about not making the time to do said thing, or
d) Strangely, some combination of all of the above

So, if we all have felt this before then we should have some empathy in regards to just how difficult it can be to remind someone of something while making it motivational instead of just nagging. But
nagging still just comes too easily (it’s the lazy way out after all). So this is a reminder to myself that persistence with friendly reminders and patience in explaining the ‘why’ gets results!

Lastly, food waste is incredibly valuable, just not to you personally. When separating it out from plastic or non-compostable resources think of it as your little contribution to thriving local economies, a
payback for your fortunate place in the scheme of all things, or whatever else motivates you in this seemingly simple task.

14/03/2025

Regen Royalty - I’m so grateful for the opportunity to see the farm and meet the legend! Thank you for your time today Martin, we’ll chat again soon I reckon.

01/02/2025

I’m currently decompressing after COMPOST2025. Thanks to my demo day buddies Sandy, Debra and J.B. for making it an excellent day. I have tons of notes from the rest of the conference - I’ll share some insights from those soon!

The best part was being surrounded by people who are committed to compost, including legends in the field who have been strong advocates for decades. But also young folk who are determined to tackle the barriers that remain in particular with food waste composting.

Thank you and all of the conference organisers and volunteers!

17/01/2025

Last night was fun!
Thanks to the ANU Agrifood Innovation Institute and for organising this particular science in the pub event.

And thanks to all who attended. I hope you enjoyed the talks as much as I did. And not forgetting the songs from MC ! What a great mood.

10/01/2025

Come hear me give an ultra quick talk on the social history of composting - next Thursday at

Free event! But please register via the link in my insta bio (or in comment below).

08/01/2025

Well this is clearly not a staged photo! But it brought a huge smile to my face 🤩

It’s Scott’s lunch as he is working from home. This is a “using things up” meal (half a capsicum, rice, extra home made satay sauce; supplemented with a ‘not burger’).
We’re both pretty skilled at these last minute creations now.

Sadly, I am not WFH so had the impoverished option of a cheese and Vegemite sanga. But very happy to receive his SMS and celebrate the food waste avoidance!!!

15/12/2024

What do we mean when we say that composted materials contribute to soil structure? Well, this is a good example! Note the signs of pressure from my thumb in this pic. I’m squeezing this clump of organic material with all of my hand strength 😊

And apart from fragments of egg shell this is purely organic material. The various organo-organo bonds are holding together the whole macro clump. And there are still plenty of microchannels for water to travel through.

Address

Canberra Central, ACT

Website

http://www.compost.org.au/

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