Climate Change & Gender Inequality: Why I became the laziest composter
Since 2019, I have taught Auburn University’s Hunger Studies class. Food insecurity is linked to trafficking vulnerability in several ways. First, women and children are most at risk of experiencing food insecurity (World Food Program USA, 2024). Climate change has been linked to increases in intimate partner violence, early marriage, and risk of sexual and labor exploitation, as well as decreases in girls attending school (CNN, 2023).
Nearly two-thirds of women experiencing sexual exploitation report experiencing food insecurity in the last three months, and the number significantly increases for those who entered exploitation before the age of 18 (Footer et al., 2020). Those who entered exploitation before the age of 18 were statistically more likely to cite their primary reason for entering exploitation as “to get food.”
Over the last five+ years, students have presented several solution-focused projects, and composting is a consistent topic. Composting is beneficial for several reasons:
Less waste in the landfill. If everyone in the US composted, it would reduce material going to landfills by 28% — the equivalent of removing 7.8 million cars from the road (Environment Resistance Institute, 2024).
Reduces greenhouse gases. Organic matter in the landfill cannot get oxygen, undergoing anaerobic decomposition that produces methane, a key contributor to climate change that is 20x more potent than carbon dioxide (Environment Resistance Institute, 2024; EPA, 2024).
Improves soil health. Composting enriches the soil with essential nutrients, reduces erosion, and increases water retention. Composting improves soil fertility, promotes plant growth, and helps soil organisms thrive (Ames, 2023).
Reduces your carbon footprint. Composting converts organic matter into carbon forms that remain in the soil, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the carbon footprint associated with waste management (Haug, 2018)
Your trash won’t stink! That means you won’t have to take out the trash as often!
In January 2024, I made a New Year’s resolution to start composting. Over the summer, I moved to a place where no one would mind if I dug a few gigantic holes, and I purchased the necessary products.
Counter-top compost bin ($38.50)— I purchased this one with compostable bags from Amazon.
Bokashi Living Composter (x2 = $146.50) — Creates pre-compost.
Green Cone (x2 = $470) — The Green Cone is a digester that accepts meat, dairy, cooked food, tea bags — even animal excrement!
Gravel (x5 = $147) — I had to purchase some drainage rocks to fill in around the Green Cones.
Did I mention that I’m lazy? I don’t want to go outside in the winter months to turn the compost. I don’t want to deal with worms or bugs. And I want to be able to compost EVERYTHING.
Don’t ask me how it all works — I’m not that kind of scientist.
I did not need to purchase the pre-composter and the digester. In fact, I didn’t see anywhere that it is recommended to do this. However, creating the pre-compost will ensure that the digester works effectively. It will also keep unwanted critters out since the compost is essentially pickled, and the taste will turn off our wildlife friends.
I also bought two of each. This allows me to create a system where I switch from one to the other every two weeks and only need to take out the compost once a month. Since the Green Cone needs to be cleaned out every 3 to 5 years, I’ve extended their lives to 6 to 10 years.
Composting requires a good amount of upfront costs, and that can be prohibitive for many people. It is also difficult for individuals who rent. Some large cities, like Seoul, South Korea, have started processing compost, but that is not a service in rural Alabama…yet. (In fact, the closest recycling facility to me is an hour and a half away. Boo.)
I expect a good amount of trial and error during this learning process. But I know that even small efforts make a big difference in creating a safer world for women and children. And that will be my mantra the next time I inevitably have rotting food and maggots on my hands (literally).
References
Ames, C. (2023). Why compost? The 10 benefits of composting for people and the planet [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bjJPgQLpis
Cable News Network [CNN]. (2023). How the climate crisis fuels gender inequality. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/11/world/climate-gender-inequality-cnnphotos-as-equals-intl-cmd/
Environmental Resistance Institute. (2024). Composting at home: How to reduce your waste and make your own fertilizer. Indiana University. https://eri.iu.edu/tools-and-resources/fact-sheets/at-home-composting.html#:~:text=28%20percentof%20waste%20deposited,million%20cars%20from%20the%20road.
Footer, K. H., White, R. H., Park, J. N., Decker, M. R., Lutnick, A., & Sherman, S. G. (2020). Entry to sex trade and long-term vulnerabilities of female sex workers who enter the sex trade before the age of eighteen. Journal of Urban Health, 97, 406-417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-019-00410-z
Haug, R. (2018). The practical handbook of compost engineering. Routledge.
PBS News Hour. (2017). These policies helped South Korea’s capital decrease food waste. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHz-GC-OBIg
United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. (2024). Composting. https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/composting
World Food Program USA. (2024). Gender inequality: Women are hungrier. https://www.wfpusa.org/drivers-of-hunger/gender-inequality/