EVANSTON, ILL. – International Compost Awareness Week is May 7-13, and the Evanston Public Library is celebrating with compost-related events for all ages at the Robert Crown Branch Library.
What is composting? Composting is the controlled process of turning organic materials, like your food or cardboard scraps, into mulch through natural decomposition. The result is compost – a dark, crumbly, earth-smelling material that keeps plants naturally fertilized.
International Compost Awareness Week is a comprehensive education initiative around compost celebrated around the world each year during the first full week of May. Drop into Evanston Public Library’s Robert Crown Branch all week long for book displays and educational videos, plus check out these events:
Basics of Composting. Join Kate Carney, Community Outreach Coordinator for Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability, to learn the basics of composting and find the right composting method for your home, from backyard composting to vermiculture, to the options offered by the City of Evanston right at your curbside. Includes a Q&A session. Wednesday, May 10, 6-7 p.m., virtual.
Super Fun Compost Storytime. We’ll read stories about compost and make puppets to act out just what happens in a compost pile! Learn about this important way to keep our Earth healthy. For preschoolers and their caregivers. Registration required. Thursday, May 11, 10:30-11:15 a.m., Robert Crown Branch.
Compost material drop-off site
Don’t have the space at home for composting? The City of Evanston’s Public Works Department offers community-based composting, conveniently located at the Robert Crown Community Center. Next time you stop by EPL’s Robert Crown Branch Library, cut down on your food waste by bringing your food scraps, and dropping them in one of the free compost bins.
The compost bins accept:
- Food scraps, including meat and fish
- Paper napkins
- Bamboo skewers
- Toothpicks
- Uncoated paper
- Clear, compostable #7 plastics
- Pizza boxes
- Paper food boats
- Tissue food liners
For a full list of what’s accepted and prohibited in the compost bins, visit collectiveresource.us or check out the City of Evanston’s informational page here.
There will be a video presentation on the different types of compost available to Evanston residents as well as a fun and simple craft about making your own compost bin liner.
EPL EXTRA
Talk with a Climate Scientist Face-to-Face: Part of the Going Green Series with Climate Up Close
Are you interested in climate science and would like to ask a scientist your most pressing questions around climate change? Climate Up Close believes Americans should reach their own judgments about climate science, by seeing the evidence for themselves and putting their questions directly to climate scientists.
Climate Up Close scientists will help you better understand the stories you might be reading in the news and discuss questions that are central to how scientists think about the problem, but are not often featured in the public conversation. Join EPL and Climate Up Close scientists for a presentation, followed by a Q&A session and time to mingle and have an informal chat with a climate scientist. All ages. Registration helpful but not required. Sunday, June 4, 2-3:15 p.m., at EPL’s Robert Crown Branch Library. Learn more.
