(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) CLARK COUNTY Master Composters/Recyclers Lou Solly, Brigg Franklin and Barb Rider sift compost at a county compost demonstration site.
MASTER COMPOSTER/RECYCLER Lee Clapp of Yacolt (far right) celebrates with other master composters/recyclers (from left) Nick Isbister, Barb Rider and Kathy Skidmore-Walsh after a day of hard work at a Clark County compost demonstration site.
JULIEANN PLATT, a master composter/recycler who trained with the Columbia Springs environmental education center in Vancouver, helps the next generation learn about the importance of recycling and conserving the Earth’s resources.
Some people are content to recycle their newspapers and bottles and call it good, but others see recycling as a vital way to give back to the Earth and help their community.
Master Recycler/Composter Alyssa Hoyt of Battle Ground is one of those people.
“I am passionate about caring for the environment and have always been conscious of our family’s consumption,” Hoyt says. “We use ‘green’ cleaners for nearly all of our household cleaning jobs, and compost everything we can."
Hoyt and her husband, along with their five young children, also use green practices on their family farm, a sustainable, five-acre operation on the outskirts of Battle Ground called Five Sprouts Farm.
Hoyt says living a green life also benefits her children, the “five sprouts” the family’s farm is named for.
“We want to leave them with a world better than the one they came into,” Hoyt says.
Although she had already practiced many sustainable ways of living at home and on her farm, Hoyt decided to take her knowledge to the next level in 2013 and become one of the county’s “master composters/recyclers.”
The Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center in Vancouver offers a 10-week Master Composter/Recycler class.
Hoyt says the training she received was invaluable.
“The training is incredible,” Hoyt says. “The presenters and instructors know their information and present the material in a meaningful and informative way. I loved the composting competition, where the class split into groups and we each had a compost pile we tended during the course of the class … it was a great challenge, and I appreciated the hands-on experience we got.”
Columbia Springs’ Master Composter/Recycler Program Coordinator Erik Horngren says the 10-week training is perfect for anyone in Clark County who wants to lessen their impact on the planet and learn how to be more sustainable.
“Anybody who cares about sustainability … certainly folks who garden a lot or want to make their own compost at home are going to benefit from this training,” Horngren says. “The classes are about composting and recycling, but they’re also about water quality, green building, green cleaning and ways to reduce waste in schools, businesses and at home … so anyone who is interested in those types of things can benefit from these classes.”
The new year is the perfect time to start thinking about these topics. After all, it’s the time for renewal and change. And it’s also the time to sign up for Columbia Springs’ 2015 Master Composter/Recycler training course, which begins in early February. The training is free and attendees will get a ton of information and resources on composting, recycling, green cleaning, green building, water quality and other aspects of sustainable living.
The free, 10-week training courses begin on Thurs., Feb. 5 and meet each Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. through April 9. Attendees may download a registration form on the Columbia Springs website at www.columbiasprings.org/programs/mcr/become-a-master-composterrecycler/. Horngren says the group will accept registration forms until Wed., Feb. 4, the day before the class begins. The training also includes two Saturday classes, including a Saturday hot compost pile building activity and a Saturday field trip to a related site.
To “pay it forward,” after receiving the free training, the newly certified Master Composters/Recyclers will dedicate 30 hours’ worth of community service, representing the composting/recycling program at fairs and farmers’ markets, helping to maintain composting demonstration sites, developing educational projects, or teaching workshops on composting and recycling throughout Clark County.
Hoyt says her experience with the program has inspired her to spread the sustainability word to others in her community.
“The things I learned in class I have been able to teach to others through our farm’s activities at farmers’ markets and through on-farm events,” Hoyt says. “My husband has also used the information as a resource for some of the classes he teaches in the community.”
Shirley Hoffman, also from Battle Ground, took the master composter/recycler training in 2001 after building a new home and facing a yard full of subsoil and clay “that not even ivy would grow on.”
The Columbia Springs’ course not only helped Hoffman bring her yard back to life, it prompted her to volunteer in her community and share her knowledge with others.
Since 2001, Hoffman has volunteered at least 40 hours a year to educating others about composting and recycling. She also teaches about worm bin composting with other worm-bin enthusiasts in Clark County.
“It’s fun to share what I have learned and this program offers the opportunity to connect with the community,” Hoffman says. “The training was thorough and (covered) subjects I knew little about, with continuous support from like-minded, ordinary people like me.”
Lee Clapp, a Yacolt resident who took the composter/recycler training in 2012, highly recommends the program to anyone looking to learn about being more sustainable.
“(Since taking the training) I’ve become an avid garden composter/vermi-composter (composting with worms),” Clapp says. “Last summer I ran a backyard composting seminar with the local library in Yacolt … and I would encourage anyone who is interested to go through the program. I’ve spoken with some people who get concerned about the number of hours owed afterward. I tell them that they go very quickly and that there are many ways to fulfill them, from teaching seminars to growing worms.”
Hoyt and Hoffman also recommend the training.
“You will see the benefits of good soil,” Hoffman promises. “Gardening will take on a whole new meaning and you will acquire friends with whom to share these common interests.”
Hoyt agrees, but cautions that people who take the training should be prepared to commit.
“If you are thinking about taking the full training, make sure to put in the effort to do the readings and really evaluate your life,” Hoyt says. “Take the principles to heart and walk the walk, not just talk the talk.”
For more information about the nonprofit environmental group Columbia Springs, which is located on a 100-acre urban natural area in Vancouver, go to www.columbiasprings.org or visit their site, which is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk, at 12208 S.E. Evergreen Hwy., in Vancouver.
